Rosalinda Cassidy Gold
by DiamondOfTheMoon
Summary: To everyone shocked and surprise, Belle and Rumpelstiltskin have a daughter instead of a son. Before they can celebrate her birth, Henry discovers a prophecy and their daughter life is changed forever. Will Rumpelstiltskin be able to protect his daughter or is he doomed to watched another one of his children die before his eyes.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone, I got this idea stuck into my head ever since I found out that Belle was pregnant and I finally decided to just go ahead and write it. Just a few things, to clear up before we begin.**

 **Rumpelstiltskin and Belle are having a girl in this story. I am going to address the whole waking Belle up from the sleeping curse but I don't really care for the fact that it's apparently their unborn son.**

 **First, I personally hate The Blue Fairy and I have always gotten this vibe as someone who isn't what she appears and thus who those who love her character on the show, you might not like how her character is in this fanfiction.**

 **Other than that I hope you enjoy my story and now on with the show.**

Rumpelstiltskin sat in the waiting room of the Storybrooke hospital waiting for Whale to emerge and tell him that his son was finally born. His mind wondered back to where Baelfire had been born and how he had injured himself in the war just so he could be sure that his son wouldn't grow up without a father. He thought about the days before his former wife left him alone to raise their son and how he wanted to do everything just to make sure his son grew up healthy, strong but also happy, and then he recall the day he became the Dark One.

After that, while he always tried to be the best father he could be to his son, he now had to admit to himself that slowly the darkness was overcoming the good that was hidden deep inside himself. His son had been able to hold the darkness back, but he could still recall the day he let himself cling to the power and the strength that it gave him but in return he lost his only son, making the prophecy to come true. His son had indeed grown up alone and without a father to protect and guide him, and now he couldn't help but worry if fate would force the same to happen again.

Would Belle truly keep him from being with their son? Although she said she would give him a chance to be a father, she had also made it clear she didn't fully trust him to do what was right. She seemed scared that their son would get hurt, or that he might become effected by the vary darkness that loomed around him.

Rumpelstiltskin knew that he couldn't fully blame Belle for fearing that because even though he had always tried to keep the darkness he was cursed with from effecting those he love, eventually it always seemed to cost him in the end, however, he would do anything for another chance. He would find a way to keep the darkness at bay, to keep it from affecting his son.

Suddenly he saw the lights in the waiting room flash and he could feel what he thought felt like the magic had ripple all around him but when he glanced around he found he didn't seem anything out of the ordinary and it seemed to vanished just as soon as he felt it.

Rumpelstiltskin heard the soft clicking of footsteps approaching and turned to see Whale finally making his way over to him. Slowly he stood up and looked at Whale, who actually for once had a smile on his face when addressing him.

"Gold," began Whale who for unknown reasons was one of the few who seemed determine to call him by his curse name.  
"I take it my son is finally born," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he began to make his way to the room where Belle was in, surely he would at least get to hold his son.  
"Wait, Rumpelstiltskin, there something you need to know."  
"What?" demanded Rumpelstiltskin stopping and turning enough so he was looking at him.  
"You don't have a son," began Whale in a voice that was calm and serious so Rumpelstiltskin knew he wasn't kidding around.  
"What are you talking about?" demanded Rumpelstiltskin, his voice going cold causing Whale to take a step backwards.  
"You have a daughter," stated Whale.  
"What?" asked Rumpelstiltskin thinking maybe he had misheard him.  
"It's a girl."

Rumpelstiltskin stared at Whale for a few seconds letting the information sink in, a daughter. But how was that possible? Belle had been woken up by a kiss by a man claiming to be their son. Without waiting for Whale to continue he turned and made his way down the hallway. A few volunteers and nurses saw him coming but wisely decided to stay out of his way as he made it to outside Belle's room which the door was open just enough that he could hear his wife soft voice speaking to a baby wrapped in a soft green blanket.

Knocking gently on the door before pushing it open enough that he could fully enter the room pausing just inside the door as Belle looked up from their child and looked at him.

"Rumple," began Belle.  
"Is it true?" asked Rumpelstiltskin taking another step into the room so he could try to get a closer look at their child who eyes were closed and seemed to be in good health.  
"Yes," stated Belle not needing to know what he was asking about. "We have a daughter."

Rumpelstiltskin walked over till he was standing mere inches from Belle and wished he could take the child into his arms and hold her much like he had when Baelfire was just a baby but he didn't want to push Belle away when she was just starting to come around to letting him be a part of their child life. He didn't know how long he stood there staring at the baby, that he almost didn't hear his wife call his name.

"Rumpelstiltskin," said Belle slightly louder which brought him out of his thoughts and he turned to look at her. "Would you like to hold her?"

Belle watched as Rumpelstiltskin seemed shocked by the question, did he truly think she wouldn't let him even hold their child before nodding and gently took their daughter from her arms and into his. She laid there and watched as Rumpelstiltskin took a seat in the chair beside the bed and began to take in his daughter's appearance. Soon, the silence was broken by their daughter who had chosen to awake at the moment began to make sounds of protest and she smiled as Rumpelstiltskin gently began to rock their child back and forth.

"Shhhh…. Princess," began Rumpelstiltskin. "You're safe, Papa's here."

Rumpelstiltskin rocked their daughter and smiled as their daughter calmed down and opened her eyes and he took in her deep brown eyes that he could see small traces of golden flecks hidden in them. Her head had what looked would be one day be soft brown curls which were only slightly lighter than her mother's locks. She was perfect and Rumpelstiltskin felt something he hadn't felt in a very long time. A love and dedication that he would do anything to protect but unlike what he had with Belle which seemed to allow the darker part of himself to still remain on the edge of the feeling, he felt new, almost like how he had felt before he had transfer the darkness back into himself when Emma had attempted to destroy it.

"She's beautiful," muttered Rumpelstiltskin as he continue to rock their child who seemed to be content in his arms.  
"Yes, she is," replied Belle as she gently reached her arms out and Rumpelstiltskin looked at them before taking one final look at their daughter and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head before gently passing their daughter back to her mother who let out a small protest but calmed down once again. "Rosalinda."  
"What?" asked Rumpelstiltskin as he looked at his wife.  
"I know it going to sound crazy but Emma convince me to pick at least one name just in case it was a girl. I thought we could name her Rosalinda."  
"Rosalinda," muttered Rumpelstiltskin testing the name out, smiling as he did since he couldn't think of a better name for their daughter. "It's perfect."  
"Rosalinda Cassidy Gold," stated Belle as she recalled Baelfire's last name he used in this world and how it felt right.

Rumpelstiltskin smiled at the name and he gently leaned over and gently ran her hand along their daughter small form, before placing a small but simple kiss onto Belle's cheek and she looked at her husband.

"Belle, come home with me," pleaded Rumpelstiltskin. "Please, just give me another chance."

Belle stared at Rumpelstiltskin who she still loved but feared the darkness in him, yet seeing him here today, holding their child and hearing him calm her down had soften her heart and she thought back to her how she once promise that she wouldn't give up on them. Yes, their love wasn't what she had always dreamed of when she was a little girl but at the same time it was what her heart craved.

"Okay," began Belle but paused just enough so he would know she wasn't done. "But we are going to take things slow. I want my own room!"  
"Alright," replied Rumpelstiltskin. "I'll make the arrangements. Thank-you."

Rumpelstiltskin smiled and while his mind was pointing out that something wasn't adding up, there was still the fact that someone who claimed to be their son had been the one to wake up Belle, he decided to worry about that another time. For once, he felt lighter and happier than he ever could recall feeling as the dark one and he wasn't going to allow his darker side intervene for once.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Storybrooke, Henry was sitting on his lunch break taking some time to record the day to day changes of the town, pausing to take a small break as he placed the quill on top of the blank page, before grabbing a soda from the nearest vending machine.

Henry open the can and made his way back to the table, taking a seat and was about to pick up the quill and continue writing when to his shocked he saw the page he had rested the quill on wasn't blank any longer. Instead were a series of words that while they were written in the usual print the quill always wrote in, it wasn't in the typical blank ink.

The words were written in what appeared to be reflective colour that seemed to change as the light danced over it. Henry gently picked the book up, trying to take in what he was seeing and he carefully began to read the writing.

 _The power of magic, reborn into a human vessel_

 _Born of a dark one and love truer than all_

 _This child shall have no equal_

 _But heed this warning:_

 _For this child shall have the power to change the world itself_

 _For in her hands, she will bring eternal…_

Henry paused as he noticed that unlike the rest, the final was different than the others. While it shimmer and shined just as the others, it kept changing from:

 _Darkness, Light and Balance_

A/N: Well that's the first chapter. Belle is giving Rumpelstiltskin another chance but how will they both react when they learn of the writing Henry just discovered and just what exactly is it that allowed Belle to wake up if they had a daughter and not a son.

Reason behind the name:

Rosalinda I wanted to go with something relating to a rose but I felt the name Rose was too simple and plain for the daughter of Rumpelstiltskin and I wanted a name that seemed a little more royal and thus I choose it.

Cassidy I felt that Belle would be the type of people who would honor Baelfire sacrifice and would understand how much Rumpelstiltskin misses him, so I felt like it would fit nicely in between her first name and her last.

Well more to come soon, I hope you all are enjoying the start of this story and I'll try to update as often as I can.


	2. Chapter 2

Meanwhile, Zeus sat took a seat on his throne and was glad for once he didn't have to worry about his jealous brother doing something stupid anymore. He was finally gone and while that meant he had a little extra work making sure that the underworld and the dead remained in control and that things were running smoothly down there, which beside the odd mishap seemed to be the case. King Author seemed to be running the underworld with more care and love then he ever had when he was the king of Camelot.

Zeus sat there slipping on the cider of the gods that he never could get enough of, yet he wanted to laugh at how a single drop could leave a mortal so drunk that it was almost to the point of a lethal dose. Zeus was so happy that when he saw Morpheus entered the throne room he instantly knew his happiness was coming to an end.

"Morpheus what do you want?" asked Zeus.  
"Lord Zeus, I have some pressing matters to bring to your attention," began Morpheus.  
"Oh and what pray tell is so pressing," muttered Zeus who sat up a bit straighter and placed his drink next to his throne.  
"You know of the prophecy relating to a child being born of the being known as a dark one and true love."  
"What of it," replied Zeus.  
"It's come to pass."  
"What!" demanded Zeus standing up from his throne, thunder and lightning flashing around them. "How could a dark one manage to have a child born of true love!"  
"I don't know but the one known as Rumpelstiltskin has managed it!"  
"APHRODITE!" bellowed Zeus. "APOLLO!"

Morpheus took a step to the side as the Goddess of love and the God of Music entered into the room and both gave a simple bow to Zeus before backing away when they saw that Zeus seemed just inches from zapping someone with a bolt of lightning.

"I was just told that the prophecy that your oracle Apollo predicted about a child born of the dark one and true love was coming to be," began Zeus as he walked down the steps from his throne. "Would one of you like to inform me, of how this came to be without my knowledge."  
"With all due respect father," began Apollo stepping forward. "I haven't spoken to the oracle of Delphi in quite some time. I had no idea that a dark one had even found love, yet alone that it was true love."  
"And you Aphrodite," began Zeus turning to face his daughter. "How is it that a dark one not only found love but true love at that when I gave you the strict order to never allowed for that to happen."  
"I tried father to break them apart, several times, but it's like someone is shielding their love from even my powers," stated Aphrodite. "That's why I turned to Morpheus. He was supposed to use his powers over dreams to convince Belle to give up on him."  
"I thought I did, I pretended to be their son and I placed a wedge in between them but it seems fate has decided to let them have a daughter instead."  
"You idiot!" exclaimed Apollo. "The prophecy said in her hands, your arrogance has cost us."  
"Well, forgive me but if I had been given more information, my plan might have worked."

Zeus watched as the gods and goddess before him began to bicker like children who didn't want to get in trouble and were trying to place the blame onto someone else. After listening to the three of them bickering back and forth and it being clear that none was going to stop anytime soon he allowed a bolt a lightning to appear in his hand before tossing it outwards. The two gods and goddess stop their fighting and turned to Zeus who had taken a seat back on his throne.

"All of you get out!" demanded Zeus. "Once again it seems I will be forced to deal with your mistakes."

Not wasting anytime, all three of them exit the room and Zeus sat there rubbing his forehead but he looked up when he heard the soft laughter of his favourite child Athena entered into the room.

"I see someone has decided to give you a headache that looks like it could rival the one that I was born from," began Athena entering the room.  
"Daughter," began Zeus his gaze softening just enough. "I could use your wisdom."  
"How can I be of service?"

Zeus told her all he had learned and Athena stood there just listening intensely and could see where this would cause a headache. If the child truly did have the magic that the prophecy spoke of, the things she would be able to do could rival even the power of the gods themselves.

"Take her away from her parents," stated Athena.  
"How will that help us?" asked Zeus.  
"Use your powers of a god to convince someone to hide her away and when the time is right, we can either lead her to her own demise or we can convince her to use her powers to do what we want her to do," explained Athena.

Zeus thought it over before nodding and began to think of someone who would be able to kidnap the child and would have the powers needed to hide her away until the right time and his mind flashed to a certain fairy who not only had the magical knowledge but also had a hatred of Rumpelstiltskin as well.

"Thank-you my daughter," praised Zeus. "I think I know just the person."

Meanwhile back in Storybrooke, Henry had quickly closed the book knowing that information like this wasn't something you should leave open for anyone to read and made his way to his locker. Before anyone could say anything he grabbed his coat and walked out of the school and passed the few teachers that were outside watching the younger children playing. Once Henry was a safe distance away from the school, he started running heading towards his mom's office and quickly enter the building.

Henry knocked on the door and when he heard his mother tell him to come in, he pushed the door open and his mother stood up a mixture of surprise, anger and confusion on her face.

"Henry!" exclaimed Regina moving out from behind the desk folding her arms over her chest trying to look intimidating. "You better have a good reason why you are not in school right now."  
"I think I do," stated Henry as he moved over to the desk and placed the book on it.  
"Henry, I'm all for you using your gifts as an author but we've talked about this. You still need to go to school."  
"I know, but look," stated Henry as he opened to the page with the writing and turning the book just enough that his mother could see the writing easier.

Regina shook her head before gently taking hold of the book and began to scan the page, her expression going from one of anger and shock to confusion before fear edge its way onto her face.

"Henry, did you?" began Regina.  
"No, I got up to grab a soda and it just appeared," stated Henry. "Mom, it doesn't feel like the normal writing that the quill creates."  
"Well, there is a different feeling of magic coming from this page, but I can't place it but it feels ancient."  
"What do you think it means?"  
"I'm not sure Henry," began Regina only to be cut off as her office phone began to ring.

Henry watched as his mother picked up the phone and listen to the call, before ending the call and giving a small half smile before facing her son.

"You have an aunt," muttered Regina pausing when she saw her son have a blank look on his face. "Rumpelstiltskin just had a daughter."

Henry allowed a look of happiness to appear on his face before going to the page and how the writing did indeed speak of a daughter being born to a dark one and Regina followed his gaze and reread the writing.

"Henry," began Regina. "It might just be a coincidence."  
"Do you really believe that?" asked Henry.

Regina wished she could say yes to wipe away any doubt her son had but the magical energy she was feeling coming off of the words, made her wonder if she was just hoping for the best.

"Even if I'm not," began Regina. "We will face it when the times come. The fact that the last word continues to change makes me believe not even its fully sure what the final outcome will be. For all we know, we could be worrying for no reason."  
"Do you think we should tell my grandfather?" asked Henry?  
"I think right now the best thing we can do is try and keep it a secret for now. The last thing we want is to create mass panic or having people try to take matters into their own hands."  
"He's not going to be happy we are keeping something like this from him," stated Henry.  
"Most likely not but we'll face that bridge when we get there too," stated Regina as her phone rang once again. "Mayor Mills. Calm down Emma, he's right here. Upset stomach, I'm just going take him home. Yes, I'll call the school and explain."

Regina hung up the phone and turned to face her son who was closing the book and trying to look innocent.

"Nice try son," stated Regina. "I covered for you this time but if you ever decided to leave school without letting one of us know before hand, I'll ground you for so long that you'll look like the apprentice when you'll be allowed to do anything fun again. Come on, let's go home."

Henry smiled before following his mother out of the office and towards her car. As they drove through the busy streets of Storybrooke before pulling up to their home and heading inside, both of them wondering what the future would bring, but they both knew that something had indeed change in their little town, it was just a matter ultimately be good, evil or neutral.

A/N: So Zeus has a plan to take Rosalinda away from her parents. Will he succeed? And how is Rumpelstiltskin going to react when he learns that both Regina and Henry are keeping something from him that concerns his daughter. More to come soon.


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't long before word began to spread though the people of Storybrooke that Rumpelstiltskin and Belle had been blessed with a little girl who seemed to be this beacon of light. Whatever she went, she seemed to bring this sense of joy and love that had the townspeople wanting nothing more to hold and love her.

Soon a whole month had passed and Belle was even opening up again to Rumpelstiltskin who would use any opportunity he had to hold their daughter and be with her. She would often wake up to hear their daughter lightly crying from her nursery next to her room, only to find by the time she made it to the room, her daughter would was being held gently in her father embrace as he would sit in the rocking chair in the room, using his voice to stop her fussing.

Belle would either leave the room to head back to bed trying to catch up on her sleep she seemed to always be missing now, or sometimes she would walk into the room and just stand beside him watching their daughter. Seeing Rumpelstiltskin so warm and loving was reminding her of the man she fell in love with and while he still had his moments, it was clear that he was indeed trying to both a better husband and a father than he ever had been. The first step was when he once again handed her the dagger after proving without a shadow of a doubt that it truly was the real one and not a fake like it had been before.

So the first month passed with nothing out of the ordinary happening and life for the golds soon began to return to normal with Rumpelstiltskin working in his shop while Belle would run the library, their daughter being traded back and forth depending on who's day would be less hectic.

However, it seemed fate had another reason why the town of Storybrooke couldn't be normal forever when first word came that Emma was pregnant and the town began to prepare for the new child of their saviour and the pirate she had fallen in love with. Belle was sitting in the library, her daughter resting in her carrier, thinking of a possible baby shower gift she could give to Emma and Hook when she heard the bell above the door to the library being open and her friend The Blue Fairy walking in, a book in her hands.

"Good morning Belle," began The Blue Fairy.  
"Morning," replied Belle as she looked up and smiled at her friend.  
"So how's motherhood going?" asked Blue.  
"Pretty good so far," replied Belle glancing over at her sleeping daughter. "Little Rosy is such a peaceful child. She's hardly that fussy."  
"That's good," stated Blue moving to look at the child who she had to admit looked like every bit a princess. "How's Rumpelstiltskin handing it?"  
"Great actually," began Belle her eyes shining with happiness. "Rosy already has him wrapped around her tiny fingers."

Belle let out a small yarn still not quite used to the late night snacks and waking up that Blue turned to look at her and smiled.

"Belle, why don't you take the afternoon off and get some sleep?" asked Blue.  
"I would but Rumple out collecting rent right now and I need to feed Rosalinda in a bit," stated Belle.  
"Well if you want I could look after her for you and drop her off at the pawn shop when your husband gets back. I can even look after the library for you if you'd like."  
"No, I couldn't ask you to do that," protested Belle.  
"Yes, you could," stated Blue. "I insist."  
"Are you sure," asked Belle the idea of a nap sounding more and more appealing as the conversation continued.  
"Positive," stated Blue. "You head home and get some sleep, I'll look after Rosalinda."  
"Okay," stated Belle as she began to explain to Blue where the diaper bag was and when Rumpelstiltskin would be done collecting rent before she handed the key to the library over and walked out the door heading back to her home.

~Hours Later~

Rumpelstiltskin sighed as he finally made it back to his shop after another long day collecting rent from people who still seemed to understand that they still needed to pay rent regardless if the town was curse or not. Rumpelstiltskin quickly did the paperwork that he needed to get done before he glanced at the clock and thought in odd that Belle wasn't there yet when they always drove home together. Rumpelstiltskin sighed thinking that she most likely was so absorb in her work at the library that she hadn't notice the time and he would simply just pick her up there instead, when his cellphone that he had accidently left on the counter on the shop began to buzz.

Rumpelstiltskin picked up the phone and saw he had one unread message from Belle and quickly opened the email and saw it was just telling him that she had gone home to get some sleep and that Blue was watching Rosalinda. Rumpelstiltskin felt a twinge of anger since he still couldn't stand fairies and in his opinion Blue was the worst of the bunch but he also knew that Blue was his wife friend and it made sense to trust her with their child. Sighing he put his phone in his pocket, thinking that perhaps Blue hadn't known what time he was done collecting rent and drove over to the library where he saw the front door was open. Giving the temperature he found that odd as he slowly exit his car and he immediately felt like something was wrong.

Quickly he made his way into the library and saw that something had partically destroy the library. Bookshelves had toppled over causing books to fall into piles onto the ground and the tables and chairs had been flipped over. However that wasn't what made his blood run cold. Lying on the ground was the Blue Fairy unconscious but there didn't appear to be any sign of his daughter anywhere.

Rumpelstiltskin moved over to the fairy and saw she had a large gash on her forehead from where she must have hit the floor and he could feel traces of magic around the room which was a mixture of Blue usual light magic but there were also traces of an unknown type of magic. Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand over Blue healing her, something he never saw himself doing but knew if he had any plans on finding his daughter, he needed to know what exactly had happened. Blue eye's fluttered open and she sat up looking around wildly before resting on him.

"Where is she!" demanded Rumpelstiltskin.  
"What?" asked Blue as she tried to figure out what was going on.  
"MY DAUGHTER!" yelled Rumpelstiltskin causing Blue to flinch as his magic appeared wild around him. "WHERE IS SHE?"  
"She should be over there," pointed Blue to the small room that Belle used as a personal office off to the side of the main room.

Rumpelstiltskin ran over to the room and he could feel what felt like some kind of protection spell that Belle had tried to cast to protect his daughter but someone had destroyed it. Rumpelstiltskin pushed open the door and glanced around the room, seeing the carrier facing away from him sitting on the desk. He let out a breath of relief as he walked over to the carrier and turned it to face him only to see that it was empty.

"No," exclaimed Rumpelstiltskin. "NO! ROSALINDA!"

Blue made it to the door and let out a cry of shock as Rumpelstiltskin turned to face her, his entire body had dark energy circling around it.

"WHAT HAPPENED!" demanded Rumpelstiltskin. "WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?"  
"I don't know," began Blue. "One minute, I was putting files on the desk before I was going to head over to drop off your daughter, when I heard the bell to the library being open. I exit the room and at first didn't see anything but I could feel this strange magic, so I placed a protection spell on the door to the office. The next thing I know is you are waking me up."

Rumpelstiltskin felt his heart turn to ice and quickly conjured the white globe he had, hoping against all hope that his daughter was close by and prick his finger at the top and watched as his blood flow onto the globe only for instead of the location being shown like it should have, nothing happened.

"No," exclaimed Rumpelstiltskin. "That's not possible."  
"What happened?" asked Blue her voice full of sadness and fear.  
"NOTHING HAPPENED! MY DAUGHTER IS…." Began Rumpelstiltskin.  
"She's not in Storybrooke anymore?" asked Blue.  
"No," began Rumpelstiltskin no longer shouting but his voice was ice and colder than anything she had ever heard. "It should show her current location no matter where she is as long as she lives."  
"You don't mean?"  
"MY DAUGHTER'S DEAD!" exclaimed Rumpelstiltskin. "WE TRUSTED YOU AND YOU FAILED US!"

Rumpelstiltskin was about to use his magic to destroy Blue when he turned and saw Belle walked into the library and take a look around before resting her eyes on them. She ran in between the two of them, which made Rumpelstiltskin to stop his attack moving just enough that Belle saw the empty carrier and her eyes to go wide in fear.

"Rumple…" began Belle. "Where is our daughter?"

Rumpelstiltskin felt his throat tightened, but with a voice barely above a whisper tell her what he knew and that his attempt to find her had failed. Belle felt like her heart was being torn into pieces but it was the next words that torn it into two.

"She's gone Belle," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "She's gone…"

Belle felt like a damp had broken open as she fell to the ground crying in pure agony as Rumpelstiltskin gently took her into his arms and held her as she cried into his chest, tears lightly falling from his eyes as well. Blue had tears in her eyes as well as she walked away from the library, leaving the two grieving parents to hold one another as they were forced to face the harsh truth.

However, just before she walked out of the library the sad look and tears vanished and if either Belle or Rumpelstiltskin had looked up at that moment, they would have seen a smile grace her lips before she vanished walked down the street, before vanishing to the outskirts of the town where a man stood holding a baby.

"Lord Zeus," stated Blue bowing low to the god.  
"Well done," stated Zeus as he handed her the infant who had woken up and was crying.  
"How did you manage to block him from finding her?"  
"God magic is a lot more powerful than the magic you mortal's know. Now, keep her safe, I'll check in when the time is right," stated Zeus as he handed a small orb to Blue. "It'll hide her from sight, it'll take a miracle for the dark one to find her now."

With that Zeus smiled as he vanished from sight and Blue looked at the crying baby before smiling and made her way into the house that had appeared in the curse Hook and Emma had created and after placing more spells and wards to prevent those with both good and evil magic from seeing them, she began to set up a room for the child, promising to protect the child until she could bring the eternal light the prophecy she had been informed of spoked of.

A/N: Oh no, Rosalinda been kidnapped and what's worst both Belle and Rumpelstiltskin think she's dead. What will happen to Rosalinda now that she is away from her parents? More to come.


	4. Chapter 4

3 Months Later

News had spread like a wild fire of Rosalinda kidnapping and how she had been killed but nobody was ever found of the small child who seemed to be this never ending beacon of light for so many people.

The people of Storybrooke tried to help the grieving parents but nothing they did seemed to help ease their pain and while Rumpelstiltskin for the most part seemed colder than normal, it was clear he was struggling to hold his darkness at bay.

Blue had taken to being hidden from the town for the most part and the only thing people could get from her was that she was devastated that she had lost Rosalinda and that she was blaming herself for it. However, it wasn't Rumpelstiltskin or Blue that was the most affected from losing Rosalinda, it was Belle.

Belle had fallen into a state of deep depression and for the most part refuse to leave her daughter nursery. Many people tried to get her to talk to them including both Rumpelstiltskin and Archie.

Archie tried to help her deal with her daughter's death, visiting the house several times and trying to get the grieving mother to talk to her but alas nothing he said seemed to make an impact on her.

Rumpelstiltskin also tried to help, using how she had helped him move pass his son's death as a guideline but nothing he said seemed to work either. It was getting so bad that Belle was barely sleeping now and when she did, she would often wake up screaming their daughter's name and he would try to hold her but she would always pull away from him.

Rumpelstiltskin even tried Archie idea of putting a tombstone up in the cemetery and having a funeral for their daughter even though the idea of digging a grave just for an empty casket seemed beyond silly to him but according to Archie it was supposed to give closure to Belle. It took some time but he managed to get Belle to attend both the funeral and the burial but instead of closure that he had hoped it would give her, it just seemed to make things worse.

Belle had taken to barely living and Rumpelstiltskin had to almost forced her to sleep and eat which scared him because while his magic was powerful, it wasn't able to help him here and if Belle didn't start showing signs of getting better soon, Whale had told him he might lose her as well. Rumpelstiltskin pleaded and pleaded for Belle to not give up but it was like his words were falling on deaf ears, for Belle just refused to listen to him.

What made it worst was as Emma and Hook tried to be discrete about their joy at having a child together, they couldn't stop the news from traveling to Belle when they had discovered to their surprise that they were expecting twins. Belle for the most part was happy for them but when news had finally hit her, she couldn't help but feel worse to know that they were going to be blessed with two babies, would she had lost her.

Belle sat in the nursery as the months passed by her and she continued to grow weaker and weaker even with Rumpelstiltskin using the few spells and potions he had to try and make her stronger hidden in her food or her tea.

Soon nine months had passed since Emma had found out she was pregnant and she had given birth to a healthy baby boy that they had decided to call Liam David Jones, and a little girl who they decided to call Marina Margret Jones. However, one week after the birth, Belle's body finally couldn't take the lack of sleep and food any longer and she had fallen into a coma.

Rumpelstiltskin was forced to watched as the woman he loved laid in a hospital bed, only being kept alive thanks to the machine hooked up to her and he watched as with each day more colour and life seemed to drain out of her. More than anything, he wished he could spare her this fate but there was nothing he could do. Then finally came the day that Whale came to tell him that all of Belle's test had come back with the results that told them that the only reason Belle was still alive was because of their machines and he had to make the hard decision if he would keep her on them or would he take them off and let things play out.

At first the very idea of pulling the plug was out of the question but as he sat there watching his wife waste away that he realized, keeping her alive just so he wouldn't be alone again was cruel and with a very heavy heart he signed the needed papers before allowing Whale to pull the plug.

Rumpelstiltskin watched as Belle monitors grew still and the doctors mark her time of death onto their clipboard before moving to take the white sheet over her but stopped when Rumpelstiltskin asked them to leave.

Once the doctors left Rumpelstiltskin walked over to the side of the bed and leaned over placing one final kiss onto Belle's lips as tears poured from his eyes and he muttered his goodbyes before pulling the sheet over her still form and walked away.

Days passed and the funeral was held and she was buried beside her daughter's empty casket and Henry stood near his grandfather and felt like a lump of coal had formed in his heart as he clutch the storybook in his hands.

After the funeral was over, Henry made his way over to his grandfather after sending a look at both of his mothers who nodded and walked away understanding that Henry was the last link to family that Rumpelstiltskin had and he had proven to care deeply for him. Henry paused as he saw his father tomb stone nearby and baby Rosalinda before he stood right next to his grandfather who didn't even moved to indicate that he had seen him approaching.

"Grandpa," began Henry.  
"Henry," began Rumpelstiltskin his voice sounding tired and full of pain.  
"There's something I need to show you," stated Henry his voice trembling as he began to flip through the pages of the book.  
"Henry, please not today," began Rumpelstiltskin.  
"Please, I need to show you…" pleaded Henry as he held the book out for his grandfather to take.

Although Rumpelstiltskin didn't want to deal with whatever that book had in it, when he looked at his grandson's pleading look, his mind flashed back to Baelfire and how he would often look at him like that when he needed to show him something that couldn't wait. Reluctantly Rumpelstiltskin gently took the book from Henry and he quickly saw the writing written there and the way the words seemed different than the others.

"When did you write this?" demanded Rumpelstiltskin.  
"I didn't," began Henry as he explained how he had discovered the page written and how he agreed to keep it a secret.

Rumpelstiltskin listen to Henry story and while he was angry that none had chosen to tell him about something that clearly had to do with his family, he also could see the logic in not telling anyone. However as he listen he realized one key fact, the magic he was feeling was something he had only felt once before.

"This isn't a story," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "It's a prophecy."  
"How can you be so sure," asked Henry staring at the writing.  
"I've seen writing like this once a long time ago. When a prophecy is revealed it is written like this until the one it speaks of fulfills the prophecy. Do you know what this means Henry?"  
"No?"  
"My daughter isn't dead!"

Henry stood there, as Rumpelstiltskin stared at the writing and a small smile graced his lips and he waved his hand over the tombstone and it became blank again.

"And I will find her," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he made a vow. "I promise you Belle, I will find out daughter and I will bring her home where she belongs."

A/N: So Rumpelstiltskin now knows about the prophecy and he now knows his daughter is still alive and has vowed to find her. Since I know a lot of you are going to wonder why I decided to kill off Belle, please allow me to explain.

Belle is one of my favourite characters but I personally can't stand how Rumpelstiltskin and her relationship is headed in the show right now. I consider keeping her alive but alas no matter how I tried it, I couldn't keep the idea for the story following like I wanted it to with her alive. As for how she died, I have depression and it isn't an easy thing to get over and while I am lucky that I have been able to fight back against mine, there was a time when I didn't. I hope that I betray losing a child as best as I could because it's not something I have ever dealt with and I can on what I know by watching TV, and movies which I know aren't the best source of information so I hope I did an okay job with it.

More to come soon but there will be a bigger time skip.


	5. Chapter 5

~Four Years Later~

Four years had passed and despite Rumpelstiltskin's best efforts he had been unable to locate his daughter anywhere. He began searching orphanages and foster homes for a child that fit his daughter description but alas no sign of her could be found and all the usual methods of finding someone had come up empty. If it wasn't for Henry's storybook showing the prophecy as clear as it always been he might have given up hope.

However, Rumpelstiltskin had no way of knowing that on the very outskirts of town in a rustic old house that to the outside looked empty and void of anyone living there, his daughter had grown up under the watchful eye of Blue.

At four years old, Rosalinda was as beautiful as anyone could have imagined a fairy tale princess looking. She had soft porcelain skin that was a creamy white colour with just a small hint of colour indicating that she had spent most of her life away from direct sunlight and her hair now reached the middle of her back and was a soft brown color with natural blonde highlights making her hair look almost golden when the few rays of sunlight would hit it just right. However, it was her eyes that made her stand out because they were a deep shade of brown almost the colour of chocolate but they seemed to sparkle and shine with golden flakes in them that made them appear almost breath taking.

Rosalinda sat in her room staring out at the falling leaves as they began to cover the ground of the front yard wondering what it would be like to be able to play outside in the leaves like she had seen people do in the novels that she had been given over the years and turned to look at her bedroom door which was closed.

Rosalinda sighed as she picked up another picture book and began to flip through the pages of the book, while every once and a while glancing over at the outside world, something she had always dreams of but recalled the warning of the woman she had only ever known as her godmother.

"I'm sorry dear," stated her godmother voice in her head. "But you're still too young to be outside, maybe when you are a little older. I don't want to see you get hurt sweetie."

However, Rosalinda couldn't stop wishing that just for once she could go outside. What could possibly happen? Rosalinda glanced over at the closed door before placing the book she had been reading onto the bed and made her way over to the door, even though she knew that it would be locked, like it always was, she still felt like she should try. Rosalinda placed her hand onto the doorknob not realizing that her hand had glowed a soft rainbow of colours before turning the doorknob and smiled when the door open with a soft click.

Rosalinda smile grew wide and she ran down the stairs and to the front door which looked looming and forbidden looking but she had come so far, she had to keep going. Once again her hand glow the same rainbow of colours and she turned the door and stared at the outside world she had dreamed of for so many years. She stood there just watching as the leaves fall from the trees around the house, just staring at them before she carefully stepped outside. Her simple slippers being the only real protection she had against the ground that was just starting to become cold and hard. The wind blew against her blowing her hair and making her shiver a little in her simple sweater she had before she walked over to the middle of the front yard and stood there.

Rosalinda breathed in the crisp autumn air that seemed so clean and cool. She closed her eyes wishing she had a way to make a pile of leaves so she could jump in them, not seeing the same glow her hands had before happen again and when she opened her eyes, she saw that every leaf in the yard had collected into a pile. Not understanding what had happen but at the same time not caring she ran over to the pile and jumped in over and over again.

Soon Rosalinda cheeks were flushed from a combination of the cold air and the sheer fun she was having that she laid in the leaves breathing in and out as she laughed and smiled for what seemed like the first time. Then suddenly she felt this strange feeling come over her that felt so familiar but yet at the same time so different than anything she had ever felt before.

Very carefully she sat up and glanced around at first not seeing anything out of the ordinary but then as her eyes landed onto where she could faintly see the driveway meet the road stood a horse.

The horse was pure black and seemed to shine as the sun reflected off the black fur. Rosalinda stared at the black horse that seemed to tower over everything and took in everything about it from the thick black mane and tail that blew gently in the wind, to the fur that covered the bottom of his feet, hiding his hoofs from sight.

Rosalinda carefully stood up and began to make her way over to the horse, its eyes never left her form as she walked over to it. Rosalinda couldn't explain it but she felted like she had to touch the horse and that it was different from a normal horse. She stopped just inches from the horse and watched as the horse lean forward ever so slightly and seemed to bow low to her, before standing like it was before, only this time its head was slightly lower than it had been before.

Rosalinda raised her hand and just as she was about to reach out and touch the horse's forehead her hand touched the barrier that had been placed up around the house and she was sent flying backwards landing by some miracle into the pile of leaves, but was knocked unconscious from the forced of the magic.

The horse reared up in alarm and took off just as Blue made her way into the yard and over to Rosalinda, her face looking angrier than anyone had ever seen her look. Blue scanned the yard looking for any signs that someone might have seen Rosalinda, before smiling as she picked the girl up and carried her into her room where she placed her onto her bed.

Blue quickly checked the wards around both Rosalinda's room and the front door thinking perhaps she hadn't secured them when she had left to attend another one of those boring town meetings that Regina insisted of, but to her surprise they were intact but someone had managed to break them and when she followed the trail of magic, her eyes landed onto Rosalinda sleeping form.

Blue was shocked because while she had expected Rosalinda to have magic and knew it would be powerful, she had assumed she wouldn't have to worry about her knowing how to access it for some time. Blue was only glad that it was clear Rosalinda didn't seemed to know what she was doing, otherwise she might have escape and then all these years of planning and deceiving everyone would be for nothing.

Blue stood there trying to decide what to do, when she thought of the cuff and how it made it impossible for the wearer to call on their magic and with a small wave of her hand, she made it appear on Rosalinda shrinking it just enough so it wouldn't come off and then she sat at the desk that was in the room waiting for Rosalinda to wake up.

~1 Hour Later~

Rosalinda eyes began to flutter slowing signs of her waking up and Blue placed the book she had been flipping through onto the desk and waited as Rosalinda woke up and her eyes took in her surrounding before she noticed the cuff and made a cry of protest as she tried to remove it, only to find it wouldn't budge.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but you won't be able to remove it on your own," stated Blue her voice scaring Rosalinda who looked over at her.  
"Godmother?" asked Rosalinda her voice full of sadness.  
"You've been a very bad girl Rosalinda," stated Blue. "Leaving your room and then going outside without my permission. What have I said about leaving your room?"  
"That good girls stay in their rooms," stated Rosalinda who had tears streaming down her face as she tried in vain to remove the cuff, not liking how it seemed to be cutting a part of herself off from her.  
"That's right," stated Blue as she rose from the chair. "Well at least now I don't have to worry about you breaking the rules anymore."  
"God mommy…." Cried Rosalinda hating how the cuff made her feel sick. "I'm sorry. I promise to be a good girl…"  
"Sorry sweetie but I can't trust you not to break the rules so the cuff stays on."  
"NOOOO!" yelled Rosalinda crying full tears now. "PLEASE! I"LL BE GOOD."

Blue sighed before saying she was sorry one more time and walked out of the room, secure it once more with her magic and made her way downstairs. She hated seeing the girl cry but it was for her own safety. She needed to be kept away from the darkness.

Little did Blue know but the horse that Rosalinda had seen had taken off and was now on the outskirts of the town where he began to glow a similar rainbow of colours and he changed from a horse to a young man with long black hair. He was dressed in a simple pair of black pants and short sleeve shirt that appear worn out and unkempt and he had a simple pair of brown leather shoes on his feet.

The man made his way into the town ignoring people as they went about his business, until he was standing just outside the door to the pawn shop where he saw Rumpelstiltskin standing at the cash looking over different books on magic. He rested his hand on the door, pausing just for a minute to consider what he was about to do, before turning the knob and stepped into the shop as the bell above the door rang to indicate his entrance.

Rumpelstiltskin looked up from his work, half expecting Henry who had taken to trying to help him find his daughter but not even his powers as an author seemed to work in trying to locate her. Henry had even broken his vow one more time and wrote using the quill to make her appear, only to have the words fade just as he tried to write them.

"Rumpelstiltskin," began the man at the door.  
"Something I can help you with?" asked Rumpelstiltskin trying to figure out who this stranger was.  
"Yes," began the man. "I need your help rescuing the person, I swore on magic to protect until the time came for her to fulfil her destiny."  
"And why should I help?" asked Rumpelstiltskin as he glanced over at his work while thinking how he didn't have time to be rescuing other people when he still hadn't located his own daughter, however it was the next words that made him turn his full attention on the man as his heart stopped beating.  
"Because the one I'm sworn to protect is your daughter," began the man watching as he managed to get Rumpelstiltskin's full attention. "Rosalinda Cassidy Gold."

A/N: Well there is chapter five. So who is this horse/man and how was he able to find Rosalinda when not even Rumpelstiltskin couldn't locate her, and will they manage to rescue Rosalinda before Blue catches wind of what fully has happen and move her to a different location.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the wait but I've been dealing with some medical issues. I won't keep you waiting. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin just stared at the man standing before him for what felt like entity not sure how to respond. How was it that this man had managed to find his daughter when all his knowledge and powers had made it impossible to do so? And what did he mean that he was his daughter so-called protector? And if he was his daughter's protector then where had he been all this time?

"Start talking," demanded Rumpelstiltskin his voice taking a slightly darker tone to it daring the man to try and lie to him.  
"My name is Thanatos," began the man.  
"As in the Thanatos, the Greek god?"  
"No, I was just named after him," began Thanatos. "I am a son of a previous dark one. My father was Zoso; I believe you know of him."

Rumpelstiltskin recalled the previous Dark One that he had managed to kill and thus claiming the powers for himself but he hadn't heard of him having any family, nor had Zoso ever spoken of him having a son when he used to torment him before he had managed to learn to shut the voices out.

"Indeed," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "However, I don't recall hearing he had a son."  
"He didn't know," stated Thanatos. "Unlike your daughter, I wasn't born out of love. My father and my mother met before he became the Dark One and they were only together for long enough, for me to be conceived before he moved outwards. However, while I wasn't conceived by true love, I was born just as my father had officially become the Dark One."

Rumpelstiltskin stood there staring at the man before him as he seemed to be fighting off something before he managed to continue his story.

"Do you know of the prophecy?" asked Thanatos. "About a child born of the dark one?"  
"Indeed," stated Rumpelstiltskin.  
"Good," stated Thanatos. "That'll save some time. As I told you because I was born just as my father became the dark one, the ones who are partially responsible for your daughter kidnapping, also took an active interest in my life as well. However, when it became clear that my parents weren't true love, they quickly lost interest in me, until I showed signs of having magic."  
"Magic?"  
"In my bloods, flow the same kind of magic that lies in your daughter's blood, however, unlike your daughter I am still bound to the laws of magic," stated Thanatos.  
"Are you trying to tell me my daughter isn't?"  
"No," stated Thanatos. "Because your daughter is magic itself, reborn into a human vessel. Through her will, she can make the impossible happen and she can reshape the laws as she sees fit. However, there is a cost to this magic."  
"There always is," replied Rumpelstiltskin slightly under his breath. "What's the cost?"  
"Your daughter will one day have to make a choice. You see when magic was first created, it lay in perfect balance. There was no such thing as darkness nor was there light. There was simply magic, however eventually people and gods began seeking magic out and asking it to grant them favours that magic grew tired of heeding the calls that it decided to choose someone to used its gifts to help her. So it create a holy grail and waited for a person who would be worthy of such a gift and found the one they call Merlin and the true essence of magic has been woven into the earth itself ever since. However, when Nimue became the first Dark One and Merlin was sealed into a tree, magic became unstable and it's been out of balance ever since. Ever since then magic has been at war itself. The dark and the light fighting, one side always winning and the other losing, only to switch as the players change, and even now that war continues."  
"So what does my daughter have to do with this?"  
"About 100 years after the war began, the being known as the Oracle of Delphi prophesized about a child who would finally end the end the war. Your daughter will restore magic to its former glory but in doing so she will also decide if darkness, light or by some miracle total balance will be the result. The ones who took your daughter feared that if she was to remain with you, the darkness that you surround yourself in would consume her and she will bring about the darkness," stated Thanatos. "However, what they fail to see is that by keeping her from being free to make her own choices and her own discoveries they are trapping her in a void of fear and misdirection's. They could very well be the ones that make the darkness win."  
"So how is that you know all of this?"  
"I know because I stumble on the oracle by accident while I was trying to learn about who I was. The ones that took your daughter had originally feared it would be me who would be the child spoken of, but when it became clear that I hadn't been born of true love, they tossed me aside. However, by accident I found out about the prophecy and the fact that I was the child of the Dark One that I began to educate myself on magic and its origins," stated Thanatos. "I ended up figuring out how to tap into the same magic force that is deep within your daughter but I can't fully control it or command it as she will one day be able to do so. However, I do have a better understanding of its true power and though it I was able to keep myself young. Eventually, I learned where my father was but when I got there to finally meet him, I saw you plunge your dagger into his heart and become the Dark One yourself."  
"So you have enteral youth," stated Rumpelstiltskin.  
"I did at one point but the same people who are mostly responsible for your daughter being taken from you, had discovered that I could access the magic they deeply feared and they decided to take matters into their own hands. They found me one night when I was at my weakest having just pulled as much magic as I could from its source to stop a child from dying and cursed me."  
"Curse you how?"  
"I'm no longer human," stated Thanatos. "I'm trapped between my true form which is standing before you and this horse form that I live a majority of my days in. At first, I couldn't transform back, I was stuck in the form of a horse until one day another oracle girl with eyes in her hands and stitches covering her face stumble upon me. She recognized what I truly was and told me to go to the very spot where the holy grail had once been, even though it wouldn't be there anymore, it was where magic was born so I would be able to understand what I was meant to do. As I was leaving, I saw you approach the same oracle and kill her. It took me a while, but I manage to find the spot and I felt the same magic I hadn't felt since I became trapped in my horse form overtake me. I don't fully know what happened next but I do remember hearing this presence in my head. It told me that the prophecy was closer than ever to being revealed but since I was trapped in the form that I was, I wouldn't be able to live long enough to see it happen. Having felt what the magic felt like and knowing that the child who was truly born to fulfill the prophecy life would in danger, I wished for a way to help said child. That's when the presence told me there was a way. If I gave my word to protect and care for the child, I could become linked to him/her until the time came for the prophecy to come to pass. I told the presence I would do anything to help and I suddenly felt so sleepy. The last thing I heard before I woke up four years ago was the same presence telling me that I would sleep till the child was born and then I would just have to find the child. It further went on to explain that I would be able to access the magic again but for only short periods of time when I needed to call on it to save the child. That's how I am able to appear like this now. I know where your daughter is but I can't rescue her on my own."  
"Where is she?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.  
"In terrible danger," stated Thanatos. "I've been looking for her ever since I woke up, I sought you out and I finally managed to locate you, only to discover that I was too late and that the same presence that cursed me had convinced someone in this town to help them kidnap her. I've been trying to find her as well but alas nothing until today when I felt the same type of magic that I used to feel today and I followed the magic and I saw her."  
"How was she?"  
"She is healthy for the most part so whoever has been helping to hide her is taking care of her. I watched as she created a leaf pile in the middle of the yard with her magic, but I don't think she knew what she was doing before she finally noticed me. I watched as she approached me and just as she was about to reach out and touch me she made contact with a barrier that I couldn't pass and she was sent flying backwards into the leaves."  
"Is she alright?"  
"Yes," stated Thanatos. "I felt her life force but she was just rendered unconscious and I felt someone with magic approaching. I decided to take off so the person wouldn't know I had seen her until I had a chance to rescue her but I need your help. I can lead you to your daughter but I can't break the barrier and such on my own. It's taking all I have now to appear like this before you and I can't access the needed magic to free her."

Rumpelstiltskin took in all he knew and stared at Thanatos before him not fully sure if he believe all he had been told, however he knew he couldn't pass up this chance at being able to rescue his daughter. He could always deal with Thanatos later on, once he was sure his daughter was finally home safe and sound.

"Lead the way," stated Rumpelstiltskin.

A/N: Okay so now you know who the horse is. However, is he telling the truth? Will the get there in time, or will it be too late?


	7. Chapter 7

Rumpelstiltskin exit his pawn shop and watched as Thanatos followed him out but stopped right outside the shop and leaned against the door for a minute.

"What's wrong?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.  
"Turning back into a human drains a lot of my magic and I can't maintain the form for long periods of time. I'm going to be forced back into the form of a horse."  
"So how do you plan on helping me rescue my daughter if you are stuck as a horse?"  
"I can still take you to where she is hidden," stated Thanatos. "Besides, it'll be quicker in my horse form anyway."

Before Rumpelstiltskin could reply, he watched as Thanatos let out a small grunt before he stepped out away from the store and shifted before his eyes into the form of a pure black horse that shimmer in the last rays of sunlight.

'Hop on,' came Thanatos' voice in his head.

Rumpelstiltskin stared at Thanatos not believing his luck. He mind flashed to the last time he had been on a horse which was back when he had joined the war and he had never enjoy being on one.

'We don't have time for this Rumpelstiltskin. You're daughter magical energy seems different now. I'm worried that those who curse me, might have done something to her,' stated Thanatos.

That was all the incentive Rumpelstiltskin needed and he hosted himself onto Thanatos' back who gave a small grunt from the weight since he never had someone on his back before.

'Hold on tight,' stated Thanatos.

Thanatos reared up a little bit almost sending Rumpelstiltskin onto the ground, but he managed to hold on as Thanatos raced through the streets and into the woods leading pass where Zelena's house, until the stopped in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere.

"I thought you were taking me to my daughter?" stated Rumpelstiltskin.  
"I have, there is a barrier around here that prevents you from seeing the house, she's being held in."

Rumpelstiltskin took in his surrounding and allowed himself to feel for magic and he could indeed sense the feel of powerful magic and while he couldn't place most of it to a owner, he did feel a trace of a familiar magic but his mind couldn't place who it belong too.

Rumpelstiltskin pulled himself off of Thanatos who gave a small shake clearly not used to be ridden. Rumpelstiltskin choose to ignore him as he began to feel for the weak point in the barrier since there always was one, it was just the matter of finding it.

Thanatos watched as he tried to sense passed the barrier but he couldn't feel Rosalinda's magic as he had earlier. It felt like her magic was no longer apart of her and he feared what those who curse him would do to the one he vowed to magic to protect at all cost.

The fall wind blew against them before Rumpelstiltskin stopped and waved his hand and Thanatos saw the barrier similar and for a split second he could see pass the barrier. Rumpelstiltskin smiled as he removed his dagger and plunge the dagger into the spot where he had waved his hand. The barrier rippled around the dagger as Rumpelstiltskin poured his magic into the dagger. At first nothing seemed to be happening but then the barrier became a solid wall of glass and Thanatos watched as Rumpelstiltskin removed the dagger and the barrier crumble before their eyes.

Rumpelstiltskin took in the small but decent looking house that stood before him and began making his way across the yard, stopping when he saw what remained of the leaf pile that his daughter had made and he could feel magic lingering on the spot but unlike any magic he had ever felt, this felt pure, untainted and most importantly neutral.

"You're daughter inside somewhere," stated Thanatos approaching beside him. "I don't sense whoever keeping her lock up in there. However, I sense we don't have a lot of time. I'll try to buy you time, if they return but hurry, I don't have access to most of my magic in this form."

Rumpelstiltskin gave a jerk nod before making his way over to the front door and laugh when he saw that it gave way with just the simplest of spells to unlock doors. Whoever had taken his daughter put so much trust in the barrier that they didn't bother to fully secure the house. Rumpelstiltskin pushed opened the door and stepped inside. The house was pretty much empty with just the bare necessity scattered about the house.

Rumpelstiltskin began to search the house looking for any sign of his daughter but also being careful not to set off any alarms that would make whoever was holding his daughter return sooner. He only hoped that he would find her and that Thanatos would be able to buy him time until he could free her.

Finally, after he was certain he hadn't missed anything downstairs he began to make his way up the stairs and began to search the second floor and finally he found himself standing in front of a door that was also secure with magic similar to how the front door had been. However, he could tell that unlike the front door, this one had an alarm on it that as soon as he dismissed it, it would alert whoever had taken his daughter that something was wrong.

Rumpelstiltskin didn't need any more doubt. He was almost certain that once he broke the spell and opened the door he would finally find his daughter and he made quick work of the spell on the door and he opened the door. His eyes scanned the room and unlike every other room that barely looked like anyone lived here, this room had different children books and toys scattered around the room clearly showing that someone had spent a majority of their time in here.

At first he didn't see any sign of his daughter as he carefully scanned the room, but then suddenly he heard the sound of soft whimpering coming from the closest and he slowly made his way over to the sound and opened the closest door and saw a small figure in the very back corner curled up in a ball crying in pure terror.

"Rosalinda?" asked Rumpelstiltskin hoping that whoever had taken her hadn't changed her name. "Shh…. Sweetie, it's okay. Papa here."  
"Papa?" asked Rosalinda as she uncurl herself but still remain in the corner just slightly out of reach.  
"That's right, it's okay. You're safe now," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "Come on sweetie, I'm here to take you home."  
"My papa dead," stated Rosalinda her voice carrying a bit of confidence to it that only a child could have."

Rumpelstiltskin knew that he could use his magic to make her either pass out and take her by force, or he could use it to manipulate her but he dismissed both thoughts. He didn't want his daughter to fear him and he knew that either action was sure to make her only fear him. He tried to think of something that might help her recall who he was when his mind flashed back to all the times he used to console her as a baby. Very slowly he began to hum the tune that he could remember from his village and watched as his daughter stared at him and how the fear began to slowly vanish from her eyes.  
Rumpelstiltskin kept humming, as Rosalinda fully uncurl herself and began to move closer to him. Rumpelstiltskin held out his hand for her to take and very slowly almost as if she was terrified that he would hurt her, she placed her hand into his and his eyes notice the golden bracelet that he knew was used to keep a person magic suppressed. Rumpelstiltskin felt like growling but he knew that if he did, all his work to make her trust him would be wasted.  
Finally, Rumpelstiltskin had managed to get her out of the closest and he removed the bracelet from her arm and instantly Rosalinda looked at it and smiled as if he had removed a huge burden from her.

"Come on," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he opened his arms inviting her into them so he could carry her to safety. "I think it's time we go home."

Rumpelstiltskin watched as his daughter seemed to be debating whether or not she wanted to go with him or not before deciding to allow him to take her into his arms. Very carefully, Rumpelstiltskin stood up holding his daughter close to his heart as he began to make his way out the door but stopped when his daughter began to cry.

"What is it princess?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.  
"My doll," rumbled Rosalinda as she reached out around him and pointed to the doll sitting on her bed.

Rumpelstiltskin walked over to the bed and glanced at the doll which was just a simple every day Reggie Ann Doll that was slightly warn out from what he could only assume was her playing with it so much and picked it up. He quickly checked to make sure that there weren't any spells or charms on it that might lead whoever had taken her to her again before handing the doll to his daughter who held the doll close to her like her life depended on it.

"Anything else princess?" asked Rumpelstiltskin wanting to make sure he didn't leave anything else behind that her daughter treasure since it was highly unlikely that she would ever see this place again.

Rosalinda looked about the room as if she was deciding if there was anything else she wanted to bring and pointed to the small stack of books sitting beside her bed which Rumpelstiltskin quickly shrunk and placed in his pocket to keep them safe. He waited for a few more seconds to make sure there was nothing else, and when he saw that Rosalinda didn't seem to want anything else he held her close to him as he made his way out of the room and towards the front door.

He stepped outside and felt his daughter shiver a little front the cold air and he quickly used his magic to shield her from the cold as he walked over to Thanatos who was on edge.

"We need to leave now," stated Thanatos. "I can sense whoever took her is on their way back."

Rumpelstiltskin indeed could feel an approaching magical energy and felt his rage consume him. He wanted nothing more than to kill whoever had stolen his daughter and turned to face towards where the magic was coming from.

"Rumpelstiltskin we need to go," stated Thanatos. "We don't have time to get your revenge, Dark One! We need to get Rosalinda away from here before we lose her again."

Rumpelstiltskin however barely heard him and the dark ambitions cloud him but suddenly he felt his daughter shift in his hold and he felt some of the darkness stepping aside.

"Papa," began Rosalinda in a small voice. "I'm scared."

Suddenly the darkness was gone and he looked at his daughter and could see she truly was scared and he lightly held her as he turned to Thanatos who had lowered himself enough so he could easily get onto his back.

Once both Rosalinda and Rumpelstiltskin was secure onto his back, Thanatos gave a small neigh and began racing away from the house and headed back towards the main part of the town. Meanwhile just as Thanatos had vanished from sight, a puff of blue smoke appeared in the middle of the yard and Belle emerged from the smoke and began to look around.

Belle quickly noticed that the front door was wide open and she could no longer feel the magical barrier any longer. She could feel the echoes of dark magic and realized that she had made a mistake. When she had felt the alarms going off telling her that someone had broken them, she thought that maybe Rosalinda had somehow gotten the cuff off or that she was too powerful to have her magic contained and it had been her but now she knew for sure that wasn't the case.

She ran into the house and up to Rosalinda room seeing the door wide open. She began searching for her, hoping she wasn't too late but realized she was. Just as she made it downstairs she heard the sound of thunder and she walked into the dining room and saw Zeus sitting there drinking some kind of wine.

"All mighty Zeus," began Belle but before she could finished found himself thrown against the wall and no matter how much she tried she couldn't get free.  
"You had one task," began Zeus standing up. "And you failed!"  
"I'm sorry," began Belle but Zeus sent her a look that said silence.  
"I don't want to hear your excuses," began Zeus as he finished his glass of wine and stood up. "Because of you not only is she now being protected by the Dark One who is sure to keep her very close to him, but she also has that curse human Thanatos to protect her."  
"I'll get her back!" pleaded Blue. "I promise, I won't fail you again."  
"You better not, or you'll find when I get though with you, you are going to wish you had never gotten out of that hat."

With that Zeus disappeared and Blue fell to the floor in a heap. Her eyes wide in fear as she thought about her time spent in the hat and the feelings that still linger from those memories and she didn't want to know what Zeus would do to her if she failed. Blue carefully stood up and exit the house seeing no point in staying there. All she needed was Rumpelstiltskin to lower his guard for a second and she would get her back and this time she would make sure not to fail.

A/N: There you go.

Rosalinda been freed but will Blue get her back?

Will Rumpelstiltskin find a way to keep her safe?

Coming up next: Rosalinda settles into her new home.


	8. Chapter 8

Rumpelstiltskin held his daughter close to him as Thanatos raced back towards the main part of town but instead of heading towards his shop, he saw Thanatos take a different path and he soon found himself standing outside of his house. Rumpelstiltskin glanced down at Rosalinda who was just beginning to dose off and he very carefully dismounted and turned to head into the house when he paused to look back at Thanatos who remained standing there.

"Yes Dark One?" asked Thanatos.  
"Remain here, I'm going to put her to bed and then you and I need to talk," stated Rumpelstiltskin his voice carrying just a subtle hint daring the horse to move from where he was standing.

Thanatos said nothing as he moved his head in what Rumpelstiltskin could assume was the closest thing to a nod that as a horse he could. Rumpelstiltskin made his way into his house and began heading towards his daughters old nursery but stopped half way there when he remember that he hadn't been in the room in years and thus he knew not only did the room need a good cleaning but it would also need to be changed to fit his daughter current age since he hadn't even bother to even get rid of the crib.

Turning he decided to make his way to his room since it wasn't like he really needed sleep and headed over to his bed and pulled back the rich satin sheets and placed his daughter onto the bed, before proceeding in covering her up with the blankets so she was tucked in. Rumpelstiltskin looked at his daughter who eyes were now heavy with sleep, and he could only assume with all that had happened today, it was amazing she still had the energy to fight sleep. Rumpelstiltskin found his mind flashing back to Belle and how stubborn and defiant she could be when she wanted to and when you combined that with his genes, he was glad he was immortal because he shudders what she would be like as a teenager.

"Okay princess," began Rumpelstiltskin keeping his voice soft and quiet so not to scare her. "Bedtime."  
"Okay," muttered Rosalinda as she held her doll close to her. "Papa…"  
"Yes?"  
"Can you read me a bedtime story?" asked Rosalinda with so much hope in the question that it made Rumpelstiltskin wonder if the person who had taken her had ever read to her.  
"Of course," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he remembers her books he shrunk and removed them and returned them to their full size.

He placed them on the bedside table before taking the top book which was called goodnight moon and he opened the book and began to read the pages. Rumpelstiltskin began to read, however he wasn't even though the entire book before he saw his daughter eyes were closed and she was fast asleep. Very quietly he placed the book on top of the pile and exit the room after placing a simple spell that would alert him if either a) his daughter woke up or b) someone beside him enter the room.

Once Rumpelstiltskin was sure that his magic was secure and that Rosalinda would be safe, he made his way back outside where he saw that Thanatos had indeed remain where he was but it was clear he wasn't keen on it. He looked like a cage animal with how he seemed to be swaying back and forth with his head.

"I see you choose to remain," stated Rumpelstiltskin moving so he was closer to Thanatos but at a safe distance sine he was now knew how fast Thanatos could move and if he charged him while he would survive, it would certainly make the next few days extremely painful.  
"You said we needed to talk," stated Thanatos his voice now sounding both bored and clearly upset, almost like a teenager who parents had grounded him and he wasn't happy about it.  
"Yes, I did," began Rumpelstiltskin only to be interrupted.  
"How is Rosalinda?" asked Thanatos.  
"Exhausted but otherwise appears good," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "Speaking of my daughter, what do you want from her?"  
"What?" asked Thanatos clearly taken back from the question? "Nothing."  
"You don't even want her to break your curse?" questioned Rumpelstiltskin his tone clearly showing he didn't trust Thanatos.  
"No, all I care about is that she is happy and healthy," stated Thanatos. "I can live with this curse; I've been doing it for years now, so returning to my human form permanently doesn't matter to me anymore. The truth is I feel more like me when I am in this form, then the other now. All I want is to help you protect her. The people who took her are more dangerous than you could ever imagine."  
"I can assure you I can protect my daughter," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "I don't plan on losing her again."  
"So you're planning on locking her up as well?" stated Thanatos.  
"HOW DARE YOU!" yelled Rumpelstiltskin his tone turning very dark and dangerous showing the beast that everyone feared. "I WOULD NEVER HURT HER LIKE THAT!"  
"Then you are going to need help because eventually your daughter will find a way to be away from you eventually. Either she will go off with one of her friends or she will sneak out, trust me on that. She's already proven when she wants something, not much can stop her. There is also her magic; it's not like other magic you've seen. She is magic itself. As long as she can think it, it's a possibility. You're going to need help and I'm willing to help. I'll be her friend, a person or horse whatever you want to call me for her to talk to when she can't talk to you. I can also use my magic to keep an eye on her until she is strong enough to defend herself."  
"And how do I know you won't just use her?"  
"I could ask you the same thing. I know how addicted you are to your powers and as your daughter gets older her magic will be far more powerful than yours, and I also know you aren't too keen on not being the strongest magical being as well," began Thanatos moving slowly towards Rumpelstiltskin who stood there ready for anything. "However, I also know that you do have a sense of loyalty to your family and while you might not have always made the right decision, you do act out of love. So I'm going to give you my trust and you will have to trust me, because something tells me you are going to need my help."

Rumpelstiltskin thought over what he had said and while he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't deny any of those comments. Rumpelstiltskin moved closer to Thanatos until they were standing almost right next to each other and they stared deeply at the other, almost as if they were searching for any sign of deceit in the other person, but saw nothing.

"Okay," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "But trust me dearie, if I ever see so much as a single scratch on her because of you, you better hope I don't catch up with you because I swear I'll turn you into glue faster than you can run."

Thanatos said nothing as he nodded and turned to leave, pausing only a second to smack Rumpelstiltskin with his tail, before quickly bolting from him at top speed. Rumpelstiltskin glared at Thanatos until he was no longer in sight before making his way back inside the house and walked over to his liquor cabinet and quickly poured himself a small drink just to help him relax after today and sighed.

Rumpelstiltskin carefully removed his wallet and pulled out a slightly warn out and faded photo of Belle moments after their daughter was born. He stared at the picture of his wife as she held their daughter in her arms so content and happy. For the last four years this had been a small reminder of his family and how he lost it. So many times he consider giving up searching for his daughter when one search after another seemed to end in failure but all he would have to do is removed this photo and he would find whatever faith was left to give it one more try and now finally he had his daughter back.

Rumpelstiltskin returned the picture back to its pocket and looked at his still full drink and began to pour it back into the bottle. He smiled as he placed the liquor back into the cabinet, which he quickly secure using his magic from his daughter just to be safe and placed his glass into the sink before making his way back upstairs and made his way back to his room where he saw his daughter was still fast asleep but had somehow managed to push most of the blankets off of her. He gave a small smile as he walked over and tucked her in again before quickly leaning down and placed a small kiss to the top of her forehead like he had done all those times he used to hold her as a baby.

Rumpelstiltskin sat there for a minute just watching his daughter sleep before he pulled himself away and headed into his study where he sat at his computer and began making a list of all the things he would need to buy. Once he was satisfied he had everything that he could think of on the list, he folded it up and reached into the desk grabbing his chequebook, since he was almost certain to be writing a lot of checks tomorrow when his eyes landed on a frame that was turned over sitting there.

Rumpelstiltskin pulled the frame out and turned into over and saw the photo of his wife and him on their wedding day that he had used his magic to take, and while seeing his wife still caused his heart to ache in memory, he did find that for once he could look at the photo and not feel as if someone was crushing his heart over and over again, yet he still remained alive out of pure torture.

"I promise Belle," mumbled Rumpelstiltskin starting at Belle. "I'll keep her safe. I won't let anything happen to her ever again, and this is one deal I promise I won't break."

A/N: Okay I know I promise this chapter would have Rosalinda settling into her new home, and that how I planned for it to happen but I felt like this was a better place to stop. Rosalinda home and Rumpelstiltskin has made an uneasy ally for the time being but will that remain?

Next chapter: Rosalinda settling in and Rosalinda finds out what happened to Belle. I'll try to update soon.


	9. Chapter 9

Morning came and Rosalinda slowly awoke feeling better than she could remember ever feeling and as her senses slowly came more and more into focus she began to feel the soft feel of the sheets under her and how big the bed felt and confusion overtook  
her before she remember what happened.

Rosalinda opened her eyes and took in the room and pushed back the thick heavy blankets and felt so small compared to most of the objects in the house, yet she could sense this familiarity to it. Rosalinda grabbed her doll in her hand as she crawled her  
way over to the edge of the bed before trying to get off, only to slightly fall onto the floor since she wasn't used to the height.

She landed with a small grunt of pain but soon shook it off as she began to explore the big room. She was so busy exploring the room that she hadn't noticed her father had made his way to the door was watching her.

Rumpelstiltskin watched as Rosalinda soon made her way over to a chest that he had some of the magical items he dared not leave in his shop. However, he also knew the chest was fully secured and locked so he wasn't that concern. He watched as she tried  
to open it to see what was inside, similar to how her mother used to try to search the Dark Castle looking for secrets and such whenever she thought she was alone.

Rumpelstiltskin smiled when Rosalinda tried to open the chest only to find it was locked and how she crossed her arms and pouted, and if there was any doubt that his daughter had inherit her mother determines, it was pushed right out the window as she  
seemed to be looking for some way into the chest. However, to his surprise he watched as she raised her hand and placed it over where he had secure the magic keeping it locked and watched as her hand glow a faint rainbow of colours and to his surprise  
he heard the locks give a click sound showing that it was no longer locked. Rumpelstiltskin was so taken by surprise, he barely register her opening the chest and it was only when she was about to touch a small silver jewel that was believed to be  
curse with death that he snapped out of it and quickly casted a spell that repelled her hand.

"Carefully dearie," stated Rumpelstiltskin walking into the room. "That isn't something to play with."

"Papa?" asked Rosalinda looking at him as he made his way over and quickly closed the chest relocking it. "I'm sorry…. I'm sorry…. I didn't mean to be bad…."

Rumpelstiltskin saw that Rosalinda looked like she was about to have a panic attack and silently curse whoever had taken her as he gently picked her up and held her against him trying to calm her down.

"Princess…. Rosie…. Its okay sweetheart," began Rumpelstiltskin running his hand along her back in hopes of calming her down. "I'm not mad, I just don't want you to get hurt."

"No, please…." Began Rose her mind flashing to how her godmother always said something like that to her. "I'll be good. Please don't lock me up."

"Oh honey," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he began to rock her like he did when she was a baby hoping the familiar feeling would calm her down. "I won't lock you up. It's okay, you're not in trouble princess."

"I'm not," began Rosalinda lightly hiccupping from the panic attack.

"No, you're not," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "It's my fault; I shouldn't have left that there. Its okay."

"I'm sorry."

"Hush now…" lightly commanded Rumpelstiltskin still silently cursing whoever had caused his little girl to be so scared. "How about we get you some breakfast and then we can go shopping."

"I can go outside?" asked Rosalinda her little voice so filled with hope over just the possibility of going outside that Rumpelstiltskin felt like someone had stabbed his heart.

"Of course sweetheart," promised Rumpelstiltskin.

"Pony?" asked Rosalinda clearly remembering Thanatos.

"Well I'm entirely sure where he is right now, but I can promise you'll see him again."

Rosalinda eyes grew wide with so much joy that Rumpelstiltskin was now cursing his heart because he now knew that he would never be able to keep Thanatos from her, nor would be most likely be able to turn him into glue either if he was to gather a guess.

"Come on princess," stated Rumpelstiltskin still carrying her. "Let's get some food in you; you must be starving by now."

Before Rosalinda had a chance to reply, her stomach beaten her to it and Rumpelstiltskin smiled as he lightly began to tickle her.

"I'll take that as a yes huh," stated Rumpelstiltskin still tickling his daughter who was squealing in pure happiness.

"Papa, stop," laughed Rosalinda trying to get out of his grip but to little success.

"Sorry, I have four years of tickling to make up for," laughed Rumpelstiltskin.

Rumpelstiltskin continued to torture Rosalinda with more tickling for a few more seconds before stopping and letting her catch her breath and she gave him a mock glare which he laughed off. Once again he was reminded of Belle and he gave a small smile  
before carrying Rosalinda downstairs and placed her onto one of the chairs as he moved into the kitchen trying to think of something he could make before deciding on pancakes. It didn't take long before he had the pancake batter made and poured into  
it the already hot frying pan and watched it carefully cook.

Once he was positive it was fully cooked he turned off the stove and placed the pancake onto a plate before cutting it into small bites size pieces. He poured a decent amount of syrup onto it before carrying it over to Rosalinda who looked so small sitting  
at the table. She didn't even really see over the table. He placed the plate on the table before picking up his daughter and took a seat in the chair before placing her so she was now sitting in his lap and handed her the fork. Rosalinda looked over  
at him before stabbing a piece of the pancake and began lifting it to her face. Some of the syrup fell off of the piece landing both on him and Rosalinda outfit but he didn't care as he watched her take her first bite and at first seemed confused  
before she gave a wide smile and began to quickly eat her meal with speed he didn't think he knew she had.

It wasn't long before the pancake was done and both Rosalinda and he was cover in syrup which he was admitting no longer felt great but still seeing his daughters happy face made him happy.

"Come on princess sticky," mumbled Rumpelstiltskin. "You need a bath young lady."

Rumpelstiltskin carried his daughter in one arm while grabbing the plate and fork and placed them into the kitchen. He placed the dishes into the sink before heading back up the stairs and into the bathroom where he began to run a warm bath for her before  
helping her out of her dirty sticky clothes and placed her into the tub once he was satisfied there was enough water.

Rumpelstiltskin gently began to wash his daughter, making sure to get the sticky syrup off of her as well as the grime from the day before. He also quickly used a little bit of soap to wash his daughters long beautiful hair being extra careful not to  
get any soap in her eyes. Once he was satisfied that he had fully cleaned he removed her from the tub and began to dry her off wrapping her tightly in the towel when he realized he didn't have anything else to put her in. Her old clothes were sticky  
and dirty and just putting them back on would have made the bath pointless. He was just considering using his magic when he heard a knock on the front door.

Rumpelstiltskin sighed and hoped whoever it was would take a hint and go away but when the knocking continued, he realized whoever it was, wasn't going away so he carried his daughter into his room and placed her so she was sitting on his bed, still wrapped  
tightly in the towel.

"Stay here princess," softly commanded Rumpelstiltskin as he stood up. "Papa just going to go see who that is and then I'll be right back."

"Promise?" came the soft reply from Rosalinda as she stared at him.

"Promise."

Rosalinda nodded and grabbed one of her old books and Rumpelstiltskin smiled as he walked out of the door and headed downstairs and stood in front of the door and used the peephole to see who it was. To his surprise he saw Henry standing there holding  
not only his storybook he almost never let out of his sight and also a plastic bag as well. He was also was clearly out of breath, almost like he had ran all the way over instead of taking his car his mothers had brought him last year. Very slowly,  
Rumpelstiltskin opened the door and Henry gave him a smile.

"Henry?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.

"Is it true?" asked Henry still trying to catch his breath.

"Is what true?" asked Rumpelstiltskin moving aside enough to let Henry in, which he quickly did.

"This," stated Henry as he handed him the storybook.

Rumpelstiltskin sighed before walking into the kitchen grabbing a bottle of water before handing it to Henry who muttered his thanks before slowly sipping on the water. Rumpelstiltskin open the book to the page where he has the bookmark and his eyes widen  
as he saw Henry had somehow managed to write about how he was able to rescue his daughter. He flipped through the pages hoping that maybe whoever had kidnapped his daughter would be revealed but alas all it showed was his rescue.

"Did you really find her?" asked Henry.

"Yes," began Rumpelstiltskin as he closed the book with a snap. "She's upstairs. I just gave her a bath."

"And the horse?" asked Henry.

"He claims he's here to help me protect her," stated Rumpelstiltskin deciding to trust Henry if only for the reason he was his only other family excluding his daughter.

"Do you trust him?"

"For now," stated Rumpelstiltskin his tone saying that it could change at a moment notice if he thought that he was a danger to his daughter. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh, here," stated Henry as he handed it over to him.

Rumpelstiltskin took the bag from him and handed the storybook back to Henry who gently took it back as he watched his grandfather open the bag and saw what looked like girls' clothing.

"Where did you get this?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.

"I went shopping this morning," stated Henry. "I figure if it was true you might need a couple of things."

"Thank-you," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he took a quick look at the bag.

There wasn't much it in but he did see a pack of socks, underwear, a hair brush along with a couple of hair ribbons and a new dress that was a soft green in colour and had the design of butterflies flying on it. Rumpelstiltskin smiled at his grandson  
who was becoming a good honest man more and more with each passing day.

"How about you take a seat in the dining room," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "I'm just going to go get her dressed and then how would you like to join us for a family outing."

"Well I'm supposed to be in school right now," began Henry as he seemed to be thinking it over. "I didn't exactly tell my mom where I was going this morning. I didn't want to risk telling people only to find out it wasn't true."

"I see, well if you want I can drop you off instead," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "That will at least stop you from being completely late."

"Okay," stated Henry but it was clear that he was feeling a little upset that he couldn't join them.

"Or if you want you can call your moms and tell them the truth and tell them I'm requesting a family day," stated Rumpelstiltskin.

"Really?" asked Henry. "You're okay with me telling them?"

"Most of Storybrooke is going to know by the end of the day anyway," stated Rumpelstiltskin knowing the moment he took his daughter out into public, gossip was going to spread faster than wildfire. "I don't really see a reason to hide it at this point."  
/"Okay," replied Henry as he moved towards the dining room pulling out his cellphone at the same time.

Rumpelstiltskin turned to head back up the stairs just as Henry said hello mom and he couldn't help but wonder which one he had decided to call, but shook his head. He made his way back into his room and saw his daughter still sitting there but it was  
clear she had moved on to a different book than the one he left her and smiled. Rumpelstiltskin made his way over to his daughter and she turned to look at him.

"Come on, let's get you dressed," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he began to dress his daughter in the new outfit, Henry had brought over, he was just about to run the brush though her hair when she turned to face him staring at one of the picture in her book.  
/"Papa?" asked Rosalinda.

"Yes sweetie?"

"Where is mama?"

Rumpelstiltskin felt his blood run cold. How was he going to explain this to her? Would she even understand what death was? He took a deep breath trying to gather her thoughts before gently pulling her onto his lap and holding him close to him.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but mama isn't here anymore," started Rumpelstiltskin as he tried to break this to her as gently as he could.

"Where she go?" asked Rosalinda clearly not following him.

"She went to…" paused Rumpelstiltskin trying to think if saving heaven was correct when he knew about the underworld and how she might be there. "the afterlife."

"Afterlife?" asked Rosalinda.

"Yeah," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "You see sweetie, shortly after you were taken away from us, your mommy got very sick. She just got to weak and she had to go to the afterlife."

"Will I get to visit her?" asked Rosalinda still clearly not understanding what he was trying to tell her.

"No sweetie, not for a very, very, very long time," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "You see you can only go to the afterlife when you…. When you…. When you die."

"Die?" asked Rosalinda.

"Yeah, you see princess, when a person time comes; they die and get to go on to their afterlife. I'm sorry princess but mama won't be coming back," stated Rumpelstiltskin.

Rosalinda seemed to understand to an extent but there was still a sign of confusion in her eyes. Her eyes filled with tears and Rumpelstiltskin pulled her closer to him and began to rub her back.

"Shh… princess, I know," began Rumpelstiltskin.

Rumpelstiltskin held her against him as he waited for her to calm down and once he did he quickly finished brushing her hair pulling it back into a loose ponytail using one of the hair ribbons and stood up holding his hand out to her.

"Come on, there is someone I want you to meet," stated Rumpelstiltskin as Rosalinda took his hand and he began to lead her downstairs.

A/N: So there is chapter 9. I hope I did the conversation between Rumpelstiltskin and Rosalinda okay about Belle. I'm trying to recall how my parents explained it to me and honestly I can't fully recall it. So I just tried to pretend how I would explain  
it to my daughter (if I had one).

Next chapter: Rosalinda meets Henry.


	10. Chapter 10

Together Rosalinda and Rumpelstiltskin made their way downstairs and into the dining room where Henry was sitting waiting for them.

"Rosalinda," began Rumpelstiltskin. "This is your nephew Henry."  
"Hello Rosalinda," stated Henry getting down onto his knees so he was at eye level with her.  
"Hello," muttered Rosalinda.  
"Did you get a hold of your mom?" asked Rumpelstiltskin drawing attention.  
"Yeah," replied Henry. "She told me it was okay to take the day off and that she just get Grandma to grab any assignments that I might have missed."  
"Alright," replied Rumpelstiltskin. "Hey princess, guess what?"  
"What?" asked Rosalinda turning to face her father.  
"Henry going to come with us shopping," began Rumpelstiltskin as he headed over to grab his car keys.  
"Really?" asked Rosalinda turning to face Henry.  
"Yep," replied Henry glad that having a little sister gave him an idea on how to deal with little kids. "How does that sound?"  
"Awesome!" exclaimed Rosalinda.  
"Alright you two," began Rumpelstiltskin walking back into the dining room. "Let's get going."

Rumpelstiltskin was about to walked over to pick up Rosalinda but to his surprise Henry lightly grabbed a hold of her and gently picked her. Rumpelstiltskin suddenly felt this strong urge to snatched Rosalinda out of Henry's arms but when Henry turned to face him, he saw the look of confusion on his daughter's face and the look of fear on Henry's.

"Sorry," began Henry.  
"No, it's okay," replied Rumpelstiltskin as he forced himself to calm down. "Come on let's go."

Rumpelstiltskin lead them to his car where he opened the backseat and let Henry placed her in the middle before he quickly buckle her in. Once he was sure that she was secure he made his way to the front seat, and turned on the car. Henry quickly got into the passenger side and once both of them were buckle in, he began to make his way towards the clothing store in town.

"I'm sorry about earlier," began Henry keeping his voice low so Rosalinda wouldn't get worried.  
"No, it's fine," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "I guess I'm just on edge."  
"She looks a lot like Belle," stated Henry.  
"Reminds me of her too," stated Rumpelstiltskin his voice going soft as he thought about his late wife.

Henry watched as his grandfather seemed to lose himself to the memories of Belle, and he decided to let him reflect. Soon, they found themselves parked outside of clothing store and Rumpelstiltskin turned off the car before exiting it and going to the back seat where he unbuckled his daughter and helped her out of the car.

Together with Henry, they made their way into the store and while there weren't that many people in the store at the moment, the few who were quickly took noticed of Rosalinda. Rumpelstiltskin could tell that a lot of them wanted to come over and asked their question but he quickly shot a look that said to keep their distance.

"Grandpa," began Henry drawing his grandfather attention. "I'll grab us a shopping cart if you want to head over to the girls section over there."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded and made his way over to the section that Henry had pointed to and began looking though the different outfits that were there, trying to figure out where to start. Henry soon joined them with a shopping cart. Henry could see that his grandfather was clearly confused and didn't seem to know where to begin and gave a small smile of support.

"Hey Rosalinda," began Henry causing both Rumpelstiltskin and Rosalinda to look at him. "What's your favourite colour?"  
"Purple," stated Rosalinda.  
"Okay, do you see anything you like here?" asked Henry trying to gather information so he could give his grandfather and him an idea where to start.

Rumpelstiltskin watched as Rosalinda seemed to scan the store looking for something she liked, before pointing to a purple shirt which was extremely sparkly and something Rumpelstiltskin could never see him picking out. Henry walked over to the shirt and quickly grabbed the correct size and placed into the cart. Together with his grandfather, Rosalinda and him they began to pick out outfits and it wasn't long before they had managed to get a full cart of different clothing and other things that Rosalinda would need including underclothes, footwear and outside clothes for not only for now but also for the winter coming up.

Once Rumpelstiltskin was sure they had grabbed pretty much everything they would need, they made their way over to the cash register and he watched as the sales woman, a person who he barely could recall who she was began to rang in their choices. After the sale woman had ringed in everything, and Rumpelstiltskin quickly paid for it, he waved his hand and watched as the bags vanished before his eyes.

"Papa," began Rosalinda.  
"What princess?" asked Rumpelstiltskin?  
"I have to go to the bathroom," stated Rosalinda.  
"I can take her if you like," stated Henry.

Henry watched as his grandfather seemed to be hesitant to let Rosalinda out of his sight but in the end placed her onto the ground and Henry lightly took her hand and lead her to the men's washroom.

Rumpelstiltskin felt like every second that his daughter was gone was like pure torture, and his body was tense and ready to strike if he had any reason to think that Rosalinda was in danger, however after only a couple of minutes he was glad to see Henry and Rosalinda made their way back to him.

"Okay," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he glanced at his watch to see it was getting closed to lunch time. "How about we grab some lunch at Granny's before we finish our shopping."  
"Okay," replied Henry as he followed his grandfather out of the store, still holding Rosalinda hand as they made their way up the street to Granny's.

When they enter Granny's they were glad that they had managed to beat the lunch rush and that only a few people seemed to be in the diner but once again they were once again the center of everyone attention. Even Granny herself smiled at the sight of him having his daughter back, something he never thought she would ever do for him.

They made their way to a table and Rumpelstiltskin helped his daughter take a seat next to him and across from Henry. They sat there for a few minutes until they head the sound of the bell on the door, and the excited call of Henry's name.

"HENRY!" exclaimed a little girl with dark blonde hair who ran over to him.  
"Hello Marina," muttered Henry looking over at his little sister. "What are you doing here?"  
"Same thing you are lad," stated Krillin walking over to them holding the hand of a young boy. "Just figure I would get your brother and sister something to eat before the diner got to crazy."  
"Who this Henry?" asked Marina finally noticing Rosalinda sitting there?  
"This is Rosalinda," began Henry. "Rosalinda, this is my younger sister Marina and my younger brother Liam."  
"Hello," replied Rosalinda a little shy.  
"I'm three, how old are you?" asked Marina.  
"Four," replied Rosalinda.

Before anyone could even blink, Marina and Rosalinda were talking up a storm with Liam joining in every once and a while. Rumpelstiltskin smiled as his daughter began to smile and laugh, enjoying the conversation and then looked over to Hook who was also watching the exchanged.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this," began Rumpelstiltskin. "But seeing how our children seem to be enjoying each other company, you are welcome to join us for lunch; if you like that is."  
"Sure," stated Hook giving a devilish smile. "But seeing how there isn't really much room here, why don't we let the kids sit at the table and we can grab a seat on one of the stools."

Henry watched as Rumpelstiltskin once again seemed hesitant to move that far away from Rosalinda, and he knew that he was extremely protective but he also knew that he had to try and help his grandfather realize that he couldn't shelter Rosalinda either.

"Come on Grandpa," began Henry as he tried to help his grandfather relax. "If you want I'll sit with them and make sure they eat their lunch. I won't leave their side."

Rumpelstiltskin was about to refuse when he saw his daughter begin to laugh as Marina and her talk about something he didn't quite follow, but it was clear that his daughter was becoming fast friends with Marina and even Liam was joining in on their conversations and slowly he found himself nodding and with Hook made his way over to the bar stools and took a seat at one but he made sure he would be close enough to protect Rosalinda if the need arise.

He watched as Granny made her way over to the kids and Henry helped his daughter and his siblings order something to eat before Granny made his way over to the two of them. He quickly order himself a hamburger, while Hook order himself a grilled cheese and they sat there and watched their kids interacting with one another.

"She looks a lot like Belle," stated Hook breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen between them.  
"Yes, she does," replied Rumpelstiltskin. "Reminds me of her too."  
"So do you know who took her?"  
"No," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "Whoever it was wasn't there when I rescued her. However, I do plan on finding out."

Hook didn't say anything, just turned to see Granny returning holding a tray of different foods and watched as she placed three orders of chicken fingers and fries in front of the kids, before handing Henry a grilled cheese sandwich, before returning to the kitchen only to return moments later with his and Rumpelstiltskin's lunch.

Rumpelstiltskin barely noticed his food being put in front of him but instead watched as Henry helped his daughter cut up her chicken finger into more manageable size pieces before helping his siblings and they all began to eat their lunch. Feeling more relaxed that his daughter was good, he began to eat his lunch as well, however his blood ran cold when suddenly Rosalinda let out a blood curling scream.

A/N: Well there you go, sorry it took so long but this chapter just seemed harder to write than the others. What made Rosalinda scream? Find out in the next chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

Faster than anyone could even blink Rumpelstiltskin was at his daughters table who was now crying and was hiding against Henry who was lightly rubbing her back, trying to calm her down but clearly at a loss on what to do.

"What happened?" demanded Rumpelstiltskin.  
"I don't know," began Henry. "One minute she was eating her lunch and the next she was screaming."  
"Liam, Marina," came Hook's voice as he walked over. "Why don't we finish our dinner over here and give your new friend a minute."  
"Okay daddy," stated Liam as he and his sister got up and Hook grabbed their plates and put them at another table.

Henry slowly moved Rosalinda and him over a bit more, Rosalinda still crying into his shirt to allow room for Rumpelstiltskin who after quickly glancing around didn't see any signs of danger took a seat next to Rosalinda.

"Rosalinda," began Rumpelstiltskin keeping his voice as calm as he could despite the situation. "It's okay, papa's here."  
"Papa?" asked Rosalinda as she turned to face him.  
"That's right princess, I'm here," stated Rumpelstiltskin using his memory of all those times he would comfort his son to help. "Your safe."  
"Papa," stated Rosalinda as she flung into his side and Rumpelstiltskin held her gently as he could in his arms.

Rumpelstiltskin knew without a doubt everyone in the diner was now watching the exchange but he couldn't care. All he knew was something had his daughter beyond terrified.

"Papa," began Rosalinda. "I want to go home."  
"Okay," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he reached into his pocket still holding her against him and stood up.

He made his way over to Hook who looked up at him and thrust out a $100 bill even though he knew it was way more than the meal cost but at the moment he didn't really care and looked over at Henry who was talking to Granny. A few seconds later, Henry was boxing up all of their lunches. After he was done, he made his way over to him and after muttering a quick goodbye to his siblings and Hook, followed Rumpelstiltskin to his car.

Rumpelstiltskin placed his daughter in the back and quickly buckled her in, before getting into the driver side and Henry got into the passenger's seat. Rumpelstiltskin turned on the car and began making their way back to the house. When he got there, he got out and was about to take Rosalinda into the house when he heard her mutter something.

"What was that princess?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.  
"Horsey," stated Rosalinda pointing in the distance where he turned to see Thanatos as a horse making his way over to them.  
"Who is that?" asked Henry moving so he was standing right beside him.  
"Henry, please take Rosalinda into the house for a minute please," asked Rumpelstiltskin.  
"Sure," replied Henry gently taking Rosalinda from his grandfather and headed into the house.  
"Horsey," lightly cried Rosalinda.  
"You can see him later princess," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "Right now I think we should get you inside and maybe take a small nap. You've had a pretty busy morning."

Rosalinda gave a small nod and Henry gently carried Rosalinda into the house and headed up the stairs and when he saw that there wasn't a room set up for her yet, made his way into the room that he could only assume was his grandfather since he actually never been upstairs to see it. Gently he place Rosalinda onto the bed and looked around for a book to read before deciding just to read from the storybook he had.

"You wanna hear a story about your mother?" asked Henry.

Rosalinda nodded and after she was tucked in securely, Henry took a seat beside her on the bed and opened the book and began reading the story of how her parents met while making sure to edit anything that might scare the little girl. However, he was barely into the story before he heard the soft sounds of her fast asleep.

Meanwhile as Henry was putting Rosalinda down for a nap, Rumpelstiltskin made his way over to Thanatos who stood now.

"Is she okay?" asked Thanatos.  
"A bit shaken up but otherwise she is unharmed," replied Rumpelstiltskin. "Any chance you say what happened?"  
"No, I didn't want to draw unneeded attention to her possible captors that I wasn't close enough to see. I just felt her distress."  
"So why are you here then?"  
"Because rather you like it or not, I am her protector, and I've already failed her once, I won't fail her again."

Rumpelstiltskin choose not to reply and turned to make his way into the house and upstairs where he made his way into his room and saw Henry was closing his storybook before turning to face him.

"I was reading the story of how you met Belle," stated Henry when he saw his grandfather's curious look. "I edit out a few details, not that I got very far into the story."  
"Thankyou Henry," muttered Rumpelstiltskin.  
"Is everything okay?" asked Henry. "Who was that horse."  
"Come downstairs and I'll explain," stated Rumpelstiltskin not wanting to accidently disturb his daughter.

Together the two of them made their way downstairs and took a seat in the living room. Rumpelstiltskin began to explain everything he had learned about Thanatos and his purpose. After he was done, the both of them sat there in silence for a bit, each in their own thoughts.

"Do you think you can trust him?" asked Henry breaking the silence.  
"At the moment, I'm unsure but so far he hasn't done anything to make me think he means her any harm. Mind you I don't plan on letting him alone with my daughter any time in the near future. Besides I have reasons to believe he might be a necessary if I want to keep Rosalinda safe. He was able to find her when I couldn't," stated Rumpelstiltskin.  
"I can't make any promises since half the time the pen decides what I write on its own but if it ever reveals anything about who took her or him I'll let you know. I'm just sorry I didn't tell you about the prophecy when I first discovered it."  
"It doesn't matter now," stated Rumpelstiltskin having long since forgiven Henry for the small part he might have played in him losing his daughter. "She's home and she's safe now, and nothing is going to change that."  
"Okay, I think I should be getting home. I'll keep you posted if I discover anything."  
"Thankyou Henry."

Henry nodded made his way out of the house, leaving Rumpelstiltskin alone in his house. Slowly Rumpelstiltskin made his way upstairs and headed towards where his daughter's nursery once had been. Rumpelstiltskin stared at the close door that after Belle had passed away he could never bring himself to open due to the pain of seeing the beautifully decorated room that his wife had made for their daughter to grow up in. Gently he turned the door knob and slightly cough when the dust linger in the air.

With a simple wave of his hand, he allowed his magic to remove and clean the room of dust before entering and just taking in the room. Seeing how much work Belle had put into even the tiniest of details from the brightly colour wallpaper of cute cartoon animals in friendly non-threatening poses, to the simple but elegant white wooded furniture. He sighed knowing that most of everything in the room would need to be thrown away and replace and felt the saddest that his daughter hadn't gotten to spend more time in this room.

Rumpelstiltskin suddenly remember how he had felt all those years ago when Milah had abandon him and his son and he was forced to find some way to support and protect him son alone. While now he had his magic and his reputation made it so most wouldn't face him directly, he still couldn't help but feel just as lost. How was he not only supposed to keep his daughter safe, but also raise her so she wouldn't just run away like everyone else did when they see the darkness that follows him. More than ever, he wished he could bring Belle back but he knew that it wasn't possible. Even if he felt it was safe to leave Rosalinda alone long enough to go search for her in hell, there was no way he would be able to restore her life. He couldn't split his heart for her because even if it was possible as a dark one, he would be forcing his curse life onto his wife and to see someone as pure and good as Belle becoming dark like him would be worse than living without her. No, much like he had with Bae, he would have to figure out a way to raise his daughter on his own.

Rumpelstiltskin sighed before he waved his hand, and the furniture he knew his daughter wouldn't need any longer such as the changing table and crib vanished to be placed in his shop for someone he sure would buy eventually. He then turned to the dresser that was in the room and after removing the baby clothes, he began to go through all his daughter new outfits into the dresser. After he was done he glanced over at the clock in the room and decided he should go wake up his daughter otherwise she would never sleep tonight. Exiting the room he took one final look before deciding that rather he might not know how he was going to handle raising Rosalinda on his own, he once again made a vow that he would do whatever he had to make sure his daughter's life was what every little girl could ever wish for, and he would even find a way to protect her from his darkness. He owed it to his son, his wife and to Rosalinda herself. This time he would do whatever he had to do to keep his family safe, even from himself if the need arise. So with that silent vow, he exited the nursery and headed towards his daughter to wake her up.

A/N: There you go, sorry it took so long, writer's block. More on the way.


	12. Chapter 12

Days began to pass by as Rosalinda slowly began to adjust to living with her father rather than her godmother as she had been told to call her. Together she watched as her father order new furniture for her room and he transformed the nursery into a proper child room for her and giving her a sense of home that she couldn't understand in her young mind.

However, the biggest change for Rosalinda came when she was allowed to go outside and play to her heart's content. Rumpelstiltskin would watch from a short distance as his daughter would run around in the yard playing and he smiled as he looked at the look of pure joy on her face.

He couldn't even deny her the joy of friendship when she first met Thanatos properly and after a discussion with Thanatos, he agreed to allow them to spend time together provided he was always nearby and as long as Thanatos kept the information he had told him about what Rosalinda was to himself for now. He didn't see a reason to let a four year old girl worry about something that even he himself as an adult didn't fully understand.

So it was with a smile that he found himself cooking his daughter some Kraft dinner for lunch as his daughter flipped though the photo album he had found with pictures of her mother in it that he thought his daughter would like to look at. He was just about to add the cheese to the meal when he heard his daughter let out a scream of terror.

Quickly he turned away from the store turning it off in the process to prevent the meal from burning as he ran to the table and saw his daughter still sitting there, terror in her eyes as the photo album lay on the floor beneath her. Swiftly he gently took his daughter into his arms and began to soothe her fears as he held her.

"Shhh… princess, papa's here," soothe Rumpelstiltskin as he held his daughter rocking her gently back in forth in his arms like he did when she was just a baby. "It's okay, none will hurt you."  
"Why was mommy with my godmother?" came the soft scared voice of his daughter.  
"What are you talking about sweetheart?" asked Rumpelstiltskin as he took a seat in a chair at the table placing Rosalinda into his lap still holding onto her tightly. "Please talk to me princess; I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Rosalinda lightly pushed away from him and gesture towards the photo album on the ground which Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand making it appear into his hand and watched as his daughter's eyes got the same look of awe they always did whenever he did magic, even for things as simple as breathing.

"Can you show me the photo Rosalinda," asked Rumpelstiltskin keeping his voice calm and gentle so he didn't scare her.

Rumpelstiltskin watched as Rosalinda with slightly shaking hands took the photo album from him and he gently began to rub her arm in comfort as his daughter as with each turn of the page he found himself growing more and more curious who this person was that his daughter refer to as her godmother and was responsible for taking his daughter from him and ultimately being a large part to him losing his wife as well. Then he felt Rosalinda tense up in his arms as she finally stopped flipping through the pages and turned her face into his chest seeking his comfort.

Rumpelstiltskin continued to soothe his daughter before allowing himself to look at the photo and to his shocked saw the photo of Belle standing next to Blue that had been taken at one of the many celebrations they had over time. Rage overtook him as he realized that they had been deceived by the very person who his wife had trusted the most and what made it even worst was when Blue had sought him out after his wife passing telling him how sorry she was and that she had wished she could do something, only to discover now that she was responsible for it all. He was so angry he didn't realize that his magic was acting up as well, until he heard the scared whimper from his daughter and he quickly stilled his rage.

"Its okay princess," began Rumpelstiltskin. "You're safe. Papa won't let her near you again."  
"You promise," asked Rosalinda her voice breaking from both fear and tears he could see lining her eyes.  
"Yes, now I want you to stay here while I go finish making your lunch," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he placed her onto her chair before heading back to the kitchen, taking the photo from the album as he did.

Once directly out of his daughter line of sight he curled the photo into his fist and used his magic to make it burn in his grip. He eyes darken as he let the rage filled him and knew the first moment he got, he had a fairy to visit and he would have his revenge.

A/N: Okay, I know short chapter but I wanted to save the fight between Blue and Rumpelstiltskin for the next chapter. Other than that, there is only going to be a couple more chapters with the young 4 year old Rosalinda before I age her up to the age she will be for the majority of the remainder of the story. Hope to have the next chapter up soon but it'll depend on work.


	13. Chapter 13

All that day Rumpelstiltskin managed to keep his anger in check though it took more control than he ever remember processing, however he was determine not to make his daughter have any reason to fear him like so many others. She was his second chance at being a father, and also the last link he had to Belle. He knew that eventually he would need to tell her what he was but for now he was content to keep her happy and innocent as long as possible and could only hope that she wouldn't have to face the horrors of his past until she was much older.

Finally the long hours of the day began to be pull to a close and Rumpelstiltskin glanced over at his daughter who was playing outside in the leaves with Thanatos standing in his horse form nearby.

"Rosalinda," called Rumpelstiltskin gently.  
"Yes papa?" asked Rosalinda looking up at him as he made his way closer to her.  
"It's time to come in princess," stated Rumpelstiltskin and watched as his daughter's eyes filled with sadness over the fact that she couldn't play outside any longer. "It's time for good girls to be heading to bed; I promise you can play some more tomorrow. How does that sound princess?"  
"Okay," replied Rosalinda her voice filling with joy over such a simple request. "Bye Thany, will you play with me tomorrow too?"  
"Of course little one," replied Thanatos ignoring the look of amusement that Rumpelstiltskin had sent him over his nickname.

Rumpelstiltskin watched as his daughter let out a squeal before she tightly began to hug Thanatos' leg since it was really the only thing she could reach before Thanatos lowered his head and gently butted it against her before bowing his warm breath on her face causing Rosalinda to let out a laugh of pure joy.

"Come on along sweetheart," stated Rumpelstiltskin before looking at Thanatos. "Stay here, we need to talk."

Thanatos moved his head in a way of confusion before moving his head in what Rumpelstiltskin could only assume was his way of nodding before he lead his daughter back into the house and began the process of putting her to bed.

One his daughter had been given a bath and her teeth and hair brush, he gently tucked her into her bed before reading to her from one of her storybooks. Once the story was done, he could see the signs of fatigue in his daughter beginning to slow and after placing a soft kiss to her forehead he left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar so the light from the hallway would enter her room giving her just enough light so she wouldn't be scared. Once he was sure that his daughter would be okay, he began to make his way back outside and over to Thanatos who he was glad to see hadn't moved from the spot he had been at.

"So what do you need to talk to me about?" asked Thanatos straight to the point.  
"I need you to look after Rosalinda tonight," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "Are you able to transform?"  
"Yes, but why would you need me to do so?"  
"I found out today who took her."  
"Who?"  
"Reul Ghorm."  
"The Blue Fairy?" asked Thanatos in shock.  
"Yes, now can you watch her or not?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.  
"Of course but what are you planning on doing?"  
"Simple," stated Rumpelstiltskin as a look of evil came over him. "I'm going to get my revenge."

Thanatos gave him a look of disappointment before he watched as he shifted in front of him into the man he was before he had been cursed and began to make his way towards the house.

"Just remember that you have a daughter who needs you more than you need your revenge," stated Thanatos before he enter the house and made his way upstairs to Rosalinda's room and after quickly checking on her to make sure she was sound asleep, he took a seat in the living room downstairs and decided to watch a movie since he had never actually seen one.

Meanwhile, Rumpelstiltskin made his way into town and headed towards the convent where he knew most of those fairies were. When he arrived he saw Blue standing off to the side and he didn't need to tell her why he was here. He watched as the colour faded from Blue's face before she stood up and vanished from sight. However he was prepare for such a trick and quickly used his magic to latch onto her and when Blue reappeared in the middle of the town, so did he.

"Running won't save you this time dearie," muttered Rumpelstiltskin.  
"Rumpelstiltskin," muttered Blue. "Listen, you don't understand…"  
"Understand?" asked Rumpelstiltskin his voice taking a hard edge to it making Blue slowly back up. "You're right I don't understand. I don't understand how you could kidnap the daughter to one of your best friends."  
"I didn't want to hurt Belle," began Blue. "But I had no choice. I couldn't let someone as pure and good as Rosalinda become tainted by your darkness."  
"You took our daughter and hid her from us making us believe she was dead. You kept her locked away while my wife; your suppose friend grew more and more depressed," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he began to move closer to Blue his magic rolling off him in waves. "You actually tried to comfort me when Belle grew weaker and when I finally consent and let her leave, when in reality all that time you were the one responsible. How does it feel to know that because of you Belle is gone and won't be able to come back? How could you look at my daughter every day and know that because of you, she will never get to know her mother love?"  
"I did what I had to do," stated Blue trying to sound confident but knew that she stood very little chance against Rumpelstiltskin, especially now with him having more magic than ever. "I wasn't going to let you taint her like so many before her."  
"No, you just held her captive for four years and made her think she was a prisoner in what you wanted her to call her home. She was an innocent little girl and you kept her lock up in a room and the one time she decides to go outside and play like a normal kid, you punish her by placing that cuff on her," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "Trust me dearie, there is more than one way to make a person go dark and something tells me if she had remain with you, that's what would have happen."  
"No, I protected her from you."  
"Yet, I have a feeling she has smile more with me in the short time that I have had her than when you had her for these past four years," stated Rumpelstiltskin.

Blue stood there and had to admit that Rosalinda did indeed seem happier than she could ever remember seeing her, but she also knew of every dark and sinister deed that Rumpelstiltskin had ever done since he had become the dark one and she had to admit even a good soul like Belle hadn't been enough to pull him back, she did the right thing. Rosalinda was sure to grow dark and cold with having Rumpelstiltskin as a father.

Rumpelstiltskin shot Blue a wicked and evil smile as he moved his hand and shot a fireball at her which she barely managed to dodge.

"Now, I'm going to make you pay for everything you have ever done to me and my family," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "I always knew there was a reason I hated fairies."

Without any other words, Rumpelstiltskin began firing every dark spell and curse he ever knew at Blue who only her knowledge of magic manage to keep her from becoming too badly injured. However, he could also tell that she was no match for his knowledge and power as well.

Finally after what seemed like forever he had managed to corner Blue and raised his hand holding her still like he had to Gaston in the underworld. His eyes reeked over Blue who was trembling from head to toe.

"Now, what should I do to you?" asked Rumpelstiltskin. "What is a fitting death for what you have done?"

Blue knew better than to try and plead for her life. She had seen this look in his eyes before and knew that nothing she would say would save her. He was to set on killing her and she was pretty sure that the only two people who might have been able to save her were either dead or the other was most likely asleep, completely unaware of her father's actions.

"Ah, I think I know just the curse," muttered Rumpelstiltskin as he began to wave his hand only to suddenly feel a blast of white magic hit him sending him flying into a wall nearby thus breaking his hold over Blue who fell to her knees.

"Oh my god, Blue are you okay?" came the concern voice of Snow White as she ran over to her friend.

Rumpelstiltskin slowly began to regain his focus and saw both of the charming and their daughter Emma standing there, and Emma had her hands raise to unleash more of her magic if the need arise.

"What the hell Gold," exclaimed Emma ever the same as always.  
"Stay out of this," muttered Rumpelstiltskin his voice taking a dark and dangerous tone. "This doesn't concern you."  
"Like hell it does," stated Emma. "You finally get your daughter back and now you go and attack someone, and here we were hoping fatherhood would help you."  
"Leave my daughter out of this," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "You have no idea what you are talking about."  
"Really," began Snow as she helped her friend to her feet. "Because I don't see how you can justify what you are doing."  
"She kidnapped my daughter!" yelled Rumpelstiltskin as he stood up after finally regaining his breath that Emma had manage to knock out of him. "She's the reason why Belle is dead."  
"What?" asked David looking to Blue.  
"She took my daughter and held her captive," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "Now either get out of my way or I'll deal with you as well. I won't let her get away with what she done to me. This is the last time, she will meddle in my family life."  
"Blue," asked Snow looking at her friend. "Tell me this isn't true. You wouldn't do something like this."

Blue looked at Snow and Snow didn't need to hear Blue confirm it before she back away and David lightly took her into his arms in comfort as Emma hands began to lower and Rumpelstiltskin stared at Blue, before he began to gather his magic again only to have Emma move in front of Blue.

"Get out of my way Swan," stated Rumpelstiltskin.  
"No," stated Emma. "There has to be another way. We could lock her up."  
"You really think you will be able to keep her away from my daughter by simply locking her up? No I know you heroes, eventually you'll let your guard down and I'll be burned in hell before I let her even have the chance to go near my daughter again."  
"Gold, you can't just kill her," exclaimed Snow trying to save her friend.  
"Watch me!" exclaimed Rumpelstiltskin as he began to power up his curse again only to have Emma use her magic to begin to slow him down. "Really Swan, I figure you of all people might understand. How would you feel if she had been responsible for losing your sons or daughter for years? How would you feel if you lost that pirate of yours because of her actions? Would you really let me stand in your way if I were you?"  
"I…" began Emma who as much as she wanted to defend Blue couldn't deny that she would likely be doing the exact same thing that Rumpelstiltskin was doing now.  
"EMMA!" exclaimed Snow who while she also could see Rumpelstiltskin's point of view, she also knew that killing someone was wrong as well.

Rumpelstiltskin watched as Blue slowly began to back up and he once again saw her gathering her magic, acting quickly he tried to place the same tracking spell on her but due to Emma's magic running interference and the fact that the Charming family had still not moved from blocking Blue fully from his sight, he watched as she vanished before his eyes.

Cold raging fury filled every pour of his body and he let out a yell in anger before setting his eyes on Emma who stood there still and shocked. Instantly his hand shot up and he felt Emma fall to her knees as she fought to break free.

"Let go of her!" yelled Charming as he moved to strike Rumpelstiltskin only for him to throw both him and Snow away from him with barely an effort.

Rumpelstiltskin watched as Emma continued to try and fight to break free only to repeatly not be able to before he heard a voice telling to him to stop. Slowly he turned to see Henry standing there before he quickly moved so he was almost directly in front of his mother who despite what was happening was still able to keep him from intercepting his spell.

"Grandpa," yelled Henry. "Let go of her please."

Seeing Henry there, his mind flashed to Baelfire and how heartbroken his young son had been when he had to tell him his mother was dead and while a large part of him wanted to make her pay for him losing his chance for revenge, the father in him knew that he wouldn't want that pain brought on any more children if he could afford it, so slowly he lowered his hand and Emma let out a gasp in pure relief.

"Be thankful Swan that I have some compassion in me for your children and not wanting them to grow up without you in their lives," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he slowly began to turn to head back towards his house. "But let me make one thing clear and you had better pass this message on to everyone you know. I will have my revenge and if my daughter gets hurt or taken from me again because of what happen here tonight, then nothing will protect you all from me if that day ever comes."

With that and a simple wave of his hand he magic himself away from the scene and back to his house, which he quickly enter. He made his way into the living room where he saw the flickers of light from the television and saw Thanatos sitting there watching some movie he own but for the life of him couldn't recall anything about it.

"Is she?" began Rumpelstiltskin.  
"Still fast asleep," stated Thanatos as he turned to face Rumpelstiltskin. "Is she dead?"  
"No, the Charming family got in the way," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "She managed to escape, at least for the moment."  
"Well for her shake I hope she remains gone otherwise she'll never regret it. I'll be nearby if you need me."

Rumpelstiltskin watched as Thanatos stood up and made his way to the door before disappearing into the night. Rumpelstiltskin waited a couple of minutes before he made his way up the stairs and after briefly checking in on his daughter who he was happy to see was indeed fast to sleep before he walked over to his room and getting some much needed sleep as well.

A/N: Well there you go, Rumpelstiltskin confronted Blue and managed to almost destroy here if it wasn't for the others getting in the way.


	14. Chapter 14

More time passed for the Gold family and with each passing day Rosalinda grew more and more into a confident young child who's smile could make anyone be capture in pure joy. While there were still a few people in the town that worried without Belle, Rosalinda was doomed to become dark like her father and had even let it slip that Blue might have be right in her wish to prevent that, for the most part the town had to admit Rosalinda was having a good effect on her father.

It was clear he was more understanding and easier to deal with when Rosalinda was nearby if only to keep her from seeing the darkness that lurk within him for as long as possible. Rumpelstiltskin even often had Rosalinda with him when he went to collect rent mostly because since Blue had yet to resurface he didn't trust leaving her unguarded and Thanatos could only become a human for short periods of time so leaving her at his manor wasn't an option.

So reluctantly he would walk the streets of Storybrooke either his daughter walking beside him or him gently carrying her in his arms. He had to admit he lost a lot of his intimidation factor but he didn't care. He was fine with that as long as his daughter was safe and sound.

He had just finished collecting the last of the rent for the day and was about to head back towards his shop so he could finish the needed paperwork and bank statement when he noticed Rosalinda was looking towards the graveyard.

"Rosalinda, princess?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.  
"Mommy?" asked Rosalinda in a small quiet voice that Rumpelstiltskin could barely hear.  
"What is that sweetheart?" asked Rumpelstiltskin moving closer to his young daughter.  
"Can we visit mommy?" asked Rosalinda in a slightly bigger voice but still not very loud.

Rumpelstiltskin looked up towards the graveyard and as much as he wanted to give his daughter everything he hadn't been able to bring himself to go visit Belle's grave since her funeral. It was just too painful, and even with having Rosalinda back, he couldn't bring himself to go there.

"No today Princess," began Rumpelstiltskin. "Papa's too tired after collecting rent. Come on."

Rumpelstiltskin turned to head back towards the shop but he barely took two steps before he heard something completely new from his daughter.

"No," exclaimed Rosalinda. "I wanna see mommy."  
"Rosalinda Cassidy Gold," lightly scolded Rumpelstiltskin still in shock since before now Rosalinda had never disobeyed him. "I said not today, now come!"  
"NO!" exclaimed Rosalinda moving to head over to the graveyard. "I'm going to see mommy!"

Rumpelstiltskin moved over to Rosalinda and gently gripped her shoulders to stop her from moving but he watched as anger filled his daughter's eyes, however he also knew that he couldn't just give in to her otherwise he would never be able to discipline her. He had to remind her who was in charge otherwise she would become like so many kids he saw that had parents that let them do whatever they wanted.

"Young lady, I will not tell you again," stated Rumpelstiltskin. "Now come along, we can visit your mother another day."

However nothing could prepare Rumpelstiltskin for what happened next. He was prepare for her to have a temper tantrum since with both his and Belle's personality mixed in, he knew she was bound to have a bit of a spitfire in her but he didn't expect for her magic to react with it either. Before he could blink, his daughter screamed no and stomped her feet sending a wave of pure magic out of her and causing him to let go of his daughter. Rumpelstiltskin was so unprepared for the magic that he didn't have a chance to even brace himself and thus was sent flying across the street stopping when his back collided with a park car knocking the wind completely from him and rendering him almost unconscious.

Rosalinda watched as her magic sent her father flying and very quickly her anger vanished from her and deep fear and concern filled her small form, especially when her father laid there.

"Papa?" asked Rosalinda her voice small and filled with fear.

Rumpelstiltskin could hear the fear in his daughter's voice but he was still dazed so as much as he wanted to reassure his daughter he was okay, he couldn't bring himself to move or even speak. He watched as Rosalinda stood there and her fear grew bigger and bigger. He then watched as other townspeople began moving to see what had happen and the whisper begin.

Rosalinda stood there and watched as her father didn't move and could hear the whisper all around her and even a few people who didn't fully know that as a dark one Rumpelstiltskin couldn't be killed by normal means wonder if her father was dead and suddenly all those times that Blue had told her that she was bad and dangerous if she didn't do as she was told came back to her.

Rumpelstiltskin could feel his energy returning and just as he was about to push himself onto his feet, he watched as his daughter's magic reacted again clearly without her really understanding what she was doing and before he could stop her, a rainbow of smoke formed around her making her vanish from sight.

Rumpelstiltskin at that moment no longer cared that his body protested against him moving as quickly as he did as he forced himself to stand on his feet and tried to sense where his daughter's magic had willed her away but to his dismay he saw that he still couldn't track her by the normal means.

Suddenly he turned and saw Thanatos running towards him in his horse form, his dark form shining brightly in the low afternoon sun. He moved until he was standing directly in front of him.

"What happened?" asked Thanatos.  
"Her magic," stated Rumpelstiltskin as he quickly told him what had happen and how he couldn't track her. "If Blue or someone…"  
"Hey, if you can't track her by normal means I highly doubt they will be able to. We'll find her, it'll just take a little longer and I'll see if I can follow our bond. We'll find her."

With that Thanatos reared up before turning and heading to look for the young girl, while Rumpelstiltskin also did the same. Together the two each began to search the town. Thanatos tried to follow the bond but at first it seemed like it wouldn't stay stable long enough for him to get a good hold of it and he could only assume it was because his young charge was so scared and confused. Finally for what seemed like forever he could feel the faint trail of her magic and he began to follow it and found himself in a park and saw Rosalinda sitting on a bench.

Focusing on his magic he sent a small wave of magic to Rumpelstiltskin to let him know he had found her before making his way over to her. Rosalinda looked up as his hoofs made soft noises of his approach and he watched as she slowly moved over to him. Rosalinda put her face into his large form and lightly began to cry and he lowered his head so he could lightly soothe her.

"I killed papa," muttered Rosalinda in-between her tears. "I am bad and evil."  
"Oh Rosalinda," began Thanatos. "You didn't kill him."  
"I didn't?" asked Rosalinda pulling back a bit so she could look at him more closely.  
"No, you just knocked the wind out of him. He's fine and actually is looking for you right now. He's so worried for you."  
"But I hurt him," muttered Rosalinda. "I am bad."  
"No, Rosalinda," began Thanatos. "You are young and you have a lot of untapped potential in your magic that its reacts without you knowing what you're doing. It doesn't make you evil. It makes you who you are."  
"Papa won't want me anymore."  
"Oh princess," came Rumpelstiltskin voice from behind them causing Rosalinda to turned and when she saw him she ran towards him and he quickly capture her into his arms holding her tightly against him. "Nothing could ever make me not want you, even if you throw me into a 1000 park cars I would still want you."

Rosalinda curled herself tighter into her father's embrace, who just held his daughter assuring her over and over again that he was fine and that he wasn't mad. He knew he would have to deal with the fact that his daughter's powers were beginning to show more and more. So with that in mind, he carefully picked up his daughter and headed back to his store.

A/N: Alright my readers this will likely be the final chapter where we will see Rosalinda as a young kid, in the next chapter we will be jumping forward in years and the real plot to the story will be starting.


	15. Chapter 15

The years passed far too quickly it seemed for Rumpelstiltskin as his daughter continued to grow and grow into a wonderfully beautiful talented young woman that he reminded him so much of Belle, yet he also saw some of him in her as well. She was the perfect blend of the two of them and while he was by no means a hero now, it was clear that Rosalinda was a beacon of light that kept his darker ambitions from surfacing at times and he was hopelessly wrapped around her fingers.

Over the years he had taken to not only teaching his daughter everything he knew about magic but also decided to make it easier on him by just homeschooling his daughter, this way he could ensure she was getting the best education that his endless supply of money and magic could provide. However, it was quickly discovered that while he could teach Rosalinda magic much like he had with Regina and Zelena, it was also clear that Rosalinda's magic was far different than anyone's he had ever seen. She still had a natural instinct that often made her magic react to the current situation without he fully understanding how she was doing it.

However, he also learned that Rosalinda had a strong sense of loyalty and devotion to those she deemed to be an important part of her life, including her four best friends. Over the years Rosalinda had become best friends with Zelena's daughter Robin, Snow White and Prince Charming's son Neil, and Emma Swan and the pirate Son Liam and their daughter Marina. It seemed that every free moment his daughter had when she wasn't working on her studies or wasn't designing she spent with her friends going off on one crazy adventure after the other.

That was another thing that made his daughter stand out was her love for fashion when it came to designing her own outfits and clothing. He wasn't fully sure where or how his daughter had learned or discovered the talent but over the years she had taken to the hobby so well that he now had a room in his house that she had converted into a design studio and he even open an account for her at the fabric store because after being dragged there more times than he could count, he just found it easier for her to just go and get whatever she decided she needed for her latest design and he would simply pay the tab when the store sent him the bill.

So it was with that thought he made his way inside after another long day collecting rent and searching for any signs of Blue who despite the years since she was last seen, was still nowhere to be found. He had a strong belief that someone was hiding her or protecting her but he had no proof who that was. After placing his keys in their designated spot, he made his way up the stairs and after seeing that his daughter wasn't in her room which had changed into the typical bedroom for a 15 year old girl instead of the child she once was, he made his way to her studio and knocked on the door. After waiting for his daughter to respond, only to be met with silent, he opened the door and just as he thought he saw Rosalinda sitting at her sewing machine hard at work completely unaware that he had opened the door.

That was the one thing about his daughter when she was designing was that she tended to be so absorbed by her work that 9/10th of the time she never noticed when other people. She could work though a blizzard and a natural disaster at times with more focus that still shocked Rumpelstiltskin, but he had to admit that the results from her hard work was quickly becoming well known.

Rosalinda's designs were the envy of many in the town including Regina Mills who despite her best effort had lost the best dressed award at the annual Storybrooke Ball that they had every year for the last few years. Rumpelstiltskin watched as his daughter moved to stand up grabbing the silver blue material she had been sewing and moved over to her mannequin that she had in the corner pausing after placing the material over it when she saw him standing there.

"Hello Papa," came Rosalinda soft elegant voice that sounded so free and uplifting that it made his darkens soul shine with happiness that he couldn't even begin to express. "How did collecting rent go?"  
"The usual," replied Rumpelstiltskin as he stood there. "Did you complete your assignments?"  
"Yes, they're in your office awaiting your attention," replied Rosalinda as she began to move the fabric she was working with over the mannequin pining it in certain places.  
"Do I even want to know what your designing now?"  
"I offered to create my friends their outfits for the ball this year," replied Rosalinda as she worked barely paying attention to her father. "This is Marina's."

Rumpelstiltskin shot his daughter a look because while Rosalinda might have won best dressed for the last several years, when it came to the pirate's daughter she was even more obsessed with the latest in fashion and looking the picture perfect you would see in modal agencies and fashion magazines. When it came to Rosalinda's outfits for the most part they were consider practical and to the point. Even now she just wore a medium length black jean skirt with light golden sparkles making the skirt stand out in a small and subtle way, while she had a one sleeve light purple shirt. Marina's outfits on the other hand were fair from simple, and often tended to be a lot sexier than he would ever allowed a 14 year old girl wear. So he could only imagine what crazy idea Marina had requested and what his daughter would create.

"Speaking of my friends, I better get going before I get to absorb in this and forget I promise to meet up with them," stated Rosalinda as she placed a couple more pins before making sure that all her equipment was off and put back into their proper places.

Rumpelstiltskin watched as his daughter packed up her sewing supplies, before she made her way over towards the door and he moved aside to let her pass as she made her way down the stairs and began putting on a pair of knee length black leather boots that she loved more than any other pair of footwear she own and grabbed her small purse that she always carried.

"And do I dare ask what you and your friends are going to be doing today?" asked Rumpelstiltskin.  
"You can ask, but I don't think you want to know," muttered Rosalinda before she gave her father a simple short kiss to the side of his cheek before quickly exiting the house before he fully could register what his daughter had said.

Rumpelstiltskin shook his head at his daughter's antics as he watched her disappear off into the town and while still a large part of him hated to have his daughter out of his sight, be over the years he had learned that he couldn't shelter Rosalinda from everything and as much as he might never be fully comfortable with her disappearing, he also knew she needed to be free to explore and spend time with her friends and by herself so she could grow up into a strong young woman she was already showing signs of becoming.

Meanwhile Rosalinda was making her way over to her friend Robin's house and knocked on the door when she arrived and it open to reveal Zelena standing there.

"Hello Zelena," stated Rosalinda. "Is Robin here?"  
"Yes," replied Zelena who voice betrayed the fact that she didn't really care for the fact that her daughter's best friend was the daughter to the dark one. "I suppose you can come in if you like."

Rosalinda nodded and after muttering her thanks, watched as Zelena called for Robin, who walked out of her room and Rosalinda saw that she was wearing long blue jeans that hugged her body but also would allow for her to easy move if needed with a pair of dark brown hiking boots and a short forest green t-shirt. Rosalinda could see that Zelena was once again unhappy that all her attempts to turn her daughter into a girly girl were met with failure and how Robin was a total tomboy who would prefer to take a hike in the woods then wear a dress. Actually Rosalinda could count on one hand the number of times that her friend had warn a dress or skirt, and almost every time she was lucky to catch her friend in one, it was usually under protest and the first chance Robin had she would change.

"Hello Robin," stated Rosalinda. "You ready to go?"  
"Yeah," replied Robin as she reached over and grabbed her bow and arrows she almost always carried with her. "I'll see you later mom."

With that Rosalinda and Robin took off before Zelena could come up with some dumb reason why they couldn't hang out and began making their way towards the docks where they were suppose to meet up with the others.

"So I take it that your mom still trying to turn you into a princess?" asked Rosalinda as they walked.  
"Yeah," replied Robin. "I still don't even understand why. It's not like I'm even royalty anyway. You're the one with royal blood and your father doesn't try to make you into one."  
"Yeah and considering he now has me learning how to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, that's saying something," stated Rosalinda lightly laughing at her father determination to teach her everything he felt she had to learn and when she asked all he would say is that if she ever found herself in the past he wanted to make sure all her bases were covered.  
"Really?" asked Robin giving her friend a look of disbelief. "Ancient hieroglyphics?"  
"Yep, still wish you were homeschooled?" asked Robin as a joke.  
"No, I'll stick to learning algebra," laughed Robin as they arrived at the docks and saw the Jolly Roger.

When they got there they saw that Neil had just gotten there and was wearing just a simple outfit of blue jeans and a dark blue shirt. Rosalinda had to admit that when it came to looks, Neil certainly had inherited his dad's good looks but it was also quite clear he was a forced to be reckon with much like his mother Snow. He also had inherited his mother's formidable temper.

Robin had also grown up into a stunning beauty that even though she didn't wear anything consider girly she still had a figure that most would kill for, but she just didn't see a point in flaunting it. She had red hair like her mother but it was slightly lighter in colour and her skin was a nice even tan colour showing the fact that she spent a lot of time in the sun. She had her red hair pulled back into a small braid that reached her shoulders.

Rosalinda watched as Robin and Neil share a small but simple kiss and she smiled at her friends glad they had finally decide to stop dancing around one another and just admit that they care for the other and her mind flashed to a certain dark hair individual that she liked. Just then they heard the sound of the last two members of their band of friends and they turned to see Liam and Marina making their way over to them.

Liam was dressed in his usual dark pants and white t-shirt that made his slightly muscular chest stand out and his short black hair was gel up in its usual spiky slightly messed up way that made him look every bit a sexy god, especially when his ocean blue eyes lit up when he smiled. In some ways he looked very much like his dad did but there was also a soft gentle look to him that his father didn't have. Marina on the other hand was also his polar opposite. Like Liam, she had dark black hair that reached the middle of her back with streaks of white in it. Her hair blew in the wind in soft gentle waves and it was clear just by looking at Marina that she cared about her looks.

Out of each of the girls in the group Marina was clearly the girly girl and her outfits were always spot on and she would show off that she had perfect figure. Today she was dressed in a short black dress that went half way to her knees with a silver looping beat around the middle and was completely sleeveless. While the outfit was simpler than most of Marina's outfits it was still something to behold. Rosalinda could only imagine her father reaction if she ever wore dresses that form fitting and short.

"Hello Liam and Marina," greeted Neil. "What kept you?"  
"Had to remind dad of our deal," replied Liam as he began moving to head onto the Jolly Roger.  
"I'm still shock you managed to get him to agree," stated Marina as she followed her twin brother onto the ship followed closely by the others.  
"Well he should have known better than making deals," replied Liam as he moved to the helm and began prepping the ship for him to sail it. "He's the one who agreed if I got an 80 on my math test, I could take the Jolly Roger out on my own for once."  
"Anything we can do to help captain?" asked Rosalinda her voice full of amusement and joy.

Liam sent Rosalinda a look that made butterflies erupt over her before he began giving commands to his friends and it wasn't long before they were sailing around in the harbor just enjoying the wind as it blew around the ship. Rosalinda looked over at Liam and even at the age of 14, he had command of the ship in a way that could rival his father and he had complete control while issuing the odd command to his friends but for the most part was content to do most of the work.

Rosalinda then looked over at Robin who decided to climb to the crow's nest for unknown reasons and was now sitting up there enjoying the view while Neil was off to the side nearby but also allowing his girlfriend to be by herself. That's what made the two of them the perfect couple. They understood when they both needed their space and when they needed comfort or each other company. They seemed to just know without the other having to tell the other. Rosalinda found herself wondering if she would ever be that lucky before she turned her gaze onto Marina who had grabbed a lawn chair from somewhere and had even changed into a bikini that was a deep red colour and showed off more skin than anyone could ever imagine a young girl wearing and was now sun tanning, claiming she was getting to pale again. It was the one thing that Marina hated about her body was that she had inherited her grandmother's pale skin and would go to great lengths to keep herself nicely tanned.

Rosalinda sighed before she moved to the front of the ship and leaned against the railing looking out to the horizon and couldn't help but wonders what the future hold. Just as she was about to allow herself to fully relax she felt a shift in the air as it seemed like magic was stirring and she turned to look beyond for something that would explain it.

"Something wrong?" asked Neil who had noticed his young friend distress first.  
"I don't know," replied Rosalinda as she tried to make sense of what she was sensing. "I just feel something's wrong. I think we should head back to town."

Rosalinda turned to head towards Liam and voice her concerns when suddenly magic erupted all around them. Marina let out a scream since she hadn't been paying attention to anything going on around her but was now glancing around her eyes searching for what was causing the issue, while Robin was also trying to figure out what was going on while also she loaded her bow and arrows just in case.

Liam however was fighting to stay in control of the ship as the magic was causing both the water below the ship to begin tossing and turning similar to how it felt when someone was sailing in the middle of a storm, plus he also noticed that the wind had begun to pick up as well making the sails protests against it.

Liam knew if he didn't get the ship out of this magical storm, there was a high chance that despite all those years sailing with his father and everything he had learned would mean next to nothing. There was only so much even a vast ship as the Jolly Roger could take before it would buckle and fail, and while he secretly worried about how his father would react if the one time that he let his son take the ship out alone without him, he somehow manage to sink one of his most valuable possessions, he also knew that the bigger risk was them getting hurt or killed.

"Brace yourselves," order Liam as he fought for control while also turning to Marina who for once had dropped her diva fashion obsessed personality and now resembled their mom when she was determine to do whatever she had to protect those she cared about. "Marina no!"  
"Do you have a better idea?" asked Marina as she looked to see that both Robin and Rosalinda were trying to not only use their skills in magic to try and fight against whatever was causing the magical storm but also were trying not to get thrown overbored.  
"You know what happens if you use your powers!" yelled Liam over the storm.  
"Yeah I know," replied Marina giving her brother a sad look before moving so she was now more directly in the center of the ship.

Everyone watched as Marina slowly raised her one hand and water vessels began to move towards her until they formed into a staff that rippled and flow like water trapped in an invisible container before her eyes took an eerie ocean green look to them as she raised the staff above her head. Suddenly the water below them began to settle and Marina continued to focus her magic outwards not noticing as more and more of her dark locks began to change from black to the blonde.

Rosalinda looked at her friend and knew that with each lock of hair that change from black to blonde was taking time off her own life force and they also knew that if her head ever began completely blonde that the next time she used her powers they would kill her. Yet, despite the curse that Marina had somehow discovered she was born with, she was determine to live her life to the fullest. While she didn't go out of her way to use her powers unneeded, she also wasn't one to just stop using it even when knowing that it was slowly killing her. Rosalinda still remember all the times, Marina would protest that if she was going to die because of these powers, than she was going to live her life to the fullest, so it was with a heavy heart that she watched her friend use her magic to try and calm the waters below them.

Finally when it seemed like nothing any of them were doing was doing any good, the magical storm disappeared and all of them took a breath of relief as Marina fell to her knees, her water staff shattering into small water droplets that fell onto the deck. Liam quickly ran over to her sister and besides seeing a few more strands of blonde hair than there was before, she appeared to be okay, just extremely tired.

"I think we should head back mates," stated Liam as he stood up.  
"Yeah," replied Rosalinda as she felt out with her magic to see if she could latch onto anything that would explain what had caused the magical storm but was met with an eerie silence that she couldn't place.

Together they began to help Liam as he began to steer it back towards the harbor, each wondering what had happened and how they were going to explain it to their parents.

"My father's going to freak," muttered Rosalinda under her breath as she watched the harbor get closer and closer to them.

A/N: Okay, there you are, extra long chapter and Rosalinda is now a teenager. Please take a minute to read the following key notes below.

The ages for both Rosalinda and her gang of friends are as followed: Neil- 17; Robin- 16; Rosalinda- 15; and Liam and Marina as 14.

I decided to pair Robin and Neil together and I might pair Rosalinda with Liam later on but I'm not sure. The biggest problem is the fact that everyone in Once Upon a Time seems to be related in some way to one another. So I'm hoping here that I'm not doing incest but there's a part of me that isn't sure anymore. The way I look at it is as followed. I'll do Neil and Robin first.  
Neil is the son of Prince Charming and Snow White and yes through marriage Neil is related to Regina who would be his step-grandmother or something along those lines, and yes Zelena is the half-sister to Regina but because they aren't fully related by blood connection I have decided to ignore it.  
The same I believe goes for Liam and Rosalinda. The only link they have to one another is Henry. Henry is Rosalinda nephew and Liam is Henry younger half-brother but they don't share a direct link. Therefore I wanted to pair the two of them together in the possible future chapters.  
If I am wrong about this, and this does venture into incest please let me know but every person who has watched the show with me or I have asked in general have stated that both pairings are fine.

Outside Liam, each of the other four members of Rosalinda's group is either blessed or curse with magic. Rosalinda you already know about is due to her being the daughter of a dark one and true love. Robin inherited her mother's magic but doesn't have the full control that her mother has shown and thus would rather work with her archery skills than relay to heavily on her magic. Marina is cursed with the ability to control any form of water doesn't matter if it a glass of water or an ocean, she can control and make it to do her bidding but with each time she uses her powers it drains away from her own life-force. Neil also has magic but it's not in its traditional sense and much like Marina his is also a curse. I won't go into details yet here of what his is, because you'll find them out in a short while. As for Liam, at first I was going to give him the power over any ship or vessel that sails on water but decided that I wanted to have at least one member of the group who can't or doesn't use magic to offset the others.

Other than that, hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll have more written as soon as I can.


	16. Chapter 16

Rosalinda and the others were glad when they made it back to the harbor and together they began helping Liam dock the Jolly Roger and once he was sure it was securely anchor and he wouldn't have to worry about it floating away, they all made their way off the ship and began their track back into town, none of them saying anything.

"So?" began Liam. "What are we going to tell our parents?"  
"I'm not sure," replied Marina. "We'll have to tell them something. It's not like they're not going to notice that my hair has more blonde in it now."  
"Not to mention we don't even know what it was or why it happened," stated Robin. "Rosalinda, you know the most about magic. Any ideas?"  
"Not really," replied Rosalinda her eyes clouded over in confusion and concern. "All I know is that wasn't natural. Someone casted that storm to appear but why and what made them just let up so easily as soon as Marina began using her magic. If I had to guess, it sort of felt like one of those test my father sometimes gives me to test and see how my magic reacts to stuff."  
"Do you think your father is behind it?" asked Neil.  
"Doubt it," replied Rosalinda. "I know his magical signal like I know the back of my hand. Trust me when I say I highly doubt he was behind this, plus it didn't feel like one of his tests."  
"Sometimes I can't help but be grateful that I don't have magic," stated Liam. "Magic never seems to get easier to understand. I still see mom struggle with hers."  
"That's mostly because your mother despite all she seen, a small part of her still clings to this idea that she is a normal person who isn't in a world where fairy tales are real," explained Rosalinda her voice taking a small edge to it that resembled her fathers before she gave a smile and looked at her friends. "Sorry, I did it again didn't I?"  
"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news oh daughter of the dark one," began Marina with a slight laughter in her voice. "But yes you did. You became your father again."

Rosalinda lightly began to giggle and just as they were about to head towards Granny's which they almost always did when they hang out, Neil let out a cry of pain before he fell to his knees holding his left shoulder as he tried not to scream.

"NEIL!" yelled Robin kneeling beside her boyfriend and trying to comfort him despite Neil determination not to show weakness in front of him.  
"Not again," muttered Neil as he fought against what was happening to him.  
"Rosalinda, please do something?" asked Robin turning to her best friend who they knew to be the most powerful of the two of them.  
"I don't… I can't…" began Rosalinda not knowing what she could do but seeing the look of pure terror and fear in her friend's eyes she slowly nodded and they watched as her eyes turned solid white and her entire body went as stiff as a log.

Rosalinda allowed what she had come to call as her magical sight overtake her and while to the outside world it looked like her eyes were a solid white and she was stiff as a log, to her it was like looking though the small invisible veil that separated magic and the rest of the world. All around her she could see nothing but the thin threads that made up every point of magic in the town. Unlike most people, one of the first things Rosalinda learned was that there was no such thing as light and dark magic. Magic was just magic and it was the person intent behind the casting of the spells that made it what it was. Even her father as a dark one wasn't full of dark magic, it just came that most of his reasons for using the magic were for selfish reasons and thus that is what changed it to dark magic.

Carefully Rosalinda tried to follow the treads and hoped she could do something to stop what she knew was happing to her friend, it wasn't easy. Since Storybrooke itself was made using a dark curse, it had its own strands of magic that flowed around everything, making it harder to pinpoint where certain magic were and she also knew she couldn't search forever. The biggest downside to using this sight was the fact that while she was looking through it, she was blind to what was occurring around her and it left her extremely valuable to the world outside of the sight and the only reason she even dared to attempt it now was because she trusted her friends to look after her. Finally after what felt like forever she could see where the magic that was affecting Neil was and she moved her hand and carefully pushed against the magic and could feel it lighting up but she also knew it was only a matter of time. Slowly she pulled back from the sight and looked over at Neil who was now panting but no longer seemed to be in pain.

"It's getting worse isn't it?" asked Neil looking at Rosalinda.  
"Yes," replied Rosalinda knowing that Neil wouldn't appreciate it if she tried to lie or pretend otherwise. "I'm sorry but I still can't fully break the connection. I could barely push it back. Eventually unless we find a cure, it will come to be."

Neil nodded and began to recall the moment that his life took a turn for the worst and shudder as the memory overcame his body.

 _Flashback:_

 _Neil smiled as he made his way into the sheriff station where his father and sister worked carrying a bag with lunch that his mother had made insisting on making sure that his father and mother at least got a proper meal instead of takeout from Granny's all the time. As he walked in, he saw his dad sitting at the desk doing paperwork looking very unhappy about it. However, last week his father had managed to bang up his shoulder blade after dealing with the latest in what Regina called made property value continue to lower in the town and thus he was limited to paperwork while his sister was dealing with the majority of the more physical aspects of the town._

" _Hey dad," smiled Neil as he made his way towards his dad's desk.  
"Hello son," smiled David as he looked at his son. "I take it your mom sent some lunch?"  
"Yeah, she said if she found out the two of you order takeout one more time, well I didn't hear the last part but I think she said something about an arrow," stated Neil as he placed the bag of food on his dad's desk.  
"Right," replied David looking extremely uncomfortable since he had a feeling what Snow had said and let's just say if he was correct he would rather not tempt fate. "I'll radio your sister and let her know not to grab anything. She's out dealing with a case."  
"Anything interesting?" asked Neil.  
"Nothing of note," stated David. "Just the usual minor disturbances."_

 _Neil watched as his father reached in for the radio he had to his sister and barely listed as his dad told her that they had dinner here and relayed his mother's message, though for some reason he left out the part about the arrow. He heard his sister muttered an okay before saying she was on her way back now when all of a sudden a loud bang sound came from somewhere and he turned to look at his dad. David sighed but was already grabbing his jacket and began making his way outside the station looking around while also talking to Emma over the radio._

" _Emma," began David. "Any chance you know what's going on?"  
"No I was hoping you had some idea," replied Emma.  
"Dad look," stated Neil pointing out towards the middle of the street where a lone figure neither of them recognized was standing._

 _David and Neil both took in the knight's strange appearance. It looked a cross between a normal man and one of those dark knights that you saw in medieval movies or read about in stories. Not much of his features could be seen, but what they could make out was that whoever the figure was he wasn't someone to take lightly._

 _"Which one of you are known as Prince Charming?" asked the lone figure ask his voice cold and devoid of all feelings.  
"That would be me," stated David as he moved so he was slightly blocking his son from view by the knight when his eyes locked onto him. "What can I do for you?"  
"You can prepare to meet your fate," stated the figure as he suddenly moved his one hand and a pure black blade appeared out of nowhere looking like it was made from shadows themselves, before tossing another blade at David's feet.  
"I have no reason to fight you," began David not understanding why the knight wanted to fight him.  
"That matters not," stated the knight. "Now prepare to fight or I'll strike down everyone you love until I leave you with no choice but to face me."_

 _David glared at the knight and was about to refuse when Emma pulled up and let out a yell of dad before the knight looked over at her and before any of them could move, had somehow merge into the shadows and was behind Emma, moving so his sword's blade was pressed against his sister's throat, before turning to face David once again._

" _So what's your choice?" asked the knight. "Do you wish to fight or do I start killing people, starting with your daughter."  
"No. I'll fight you," stated David. "Just let her go."  
"Pick up the sword and I will," stated the knight._

 _David sighed knowing with his shoulder he wouldn't be able to fight but he also wasn't about to let the knight kill his daughter and was just about to grab the sword when suddenly Neil moved from behind him and grabbed the blade._

" _Foolish boy," muttered the knight but none the less tossed Emma away from him causing her to fall and hit her head against the sidewalk.  
"Neil," exclaimed David moving to take the sword from his son's hand but found he couldn't reach for it.  
"The sword is enchanted," stated the knight. "Whoever touches the blade is bound to fight until one of us is standing. I'm curious boy, what made you decide to take the place in this fight."  
"My father hurt his shoulder a short while ago, he might be willing to fight you but he can't and I'm not going to let him get killed when I can fight for him," explained Neil his voice having a slight hint of fear but also trying to call forth every ounce of bravely he had in him.  
"Well I have to admit, I didn't come here to face the son of Prince Charming, but I suppose spilling your blood will be an interesting start. I can always kill your father afterwards. So what's your name son? I'm curious to know who my latest victum will be."  
"Neil," stated Neil. "Prince Neil."  
"Well Prince Neil, you should feel honor for you will be the 100_ _th_ _person my blade has killed."  
"Don't count on it," stated Neil as he moved forward._

 _David made his way over to Emma as he watched as his son used everything he had ever taught him about sword fighting as his blade crashed with the other blade. Sparks of both silver and black were sent flying as the blows were traded back and forth. Despite Neil hadn't really fraught with anyone like this, David was impressed with his sons skills. He had taken everything he had taught him and while David was decent with a sword, it was clear his son had far out passed him in raw skills._

" _I'm impressed boy," muttered the knight after another exchange of blows. "Most would have already fallen by now."_

 _Neil said nothing as he used the small break to readjust the sword in his hand and tried to catch and calm his erratic breathing to a more normal pace. Neil didn't dare take his eyes off the knight even though his mind couldn't help but wonder if his sister was okay. He knew all it would take is for him to lose his focus for a second and the fight would be over. He had to stay focus if he planned to live though this fight. Just as his breathing was finally getting back to normal, the knight shot at him bashing his blade in a move to kill that Neil barely managed to block and sidestep. It was at that moment he realized something. This wasn't like the few times he had practiced with his father, or his cushion Marina; who despite her love for fashion and all around being the very image of a royal princess, was a decent sword fighter when she had to be; no this was a fight like no other he had ever faced. This was a fight to the death and it wouldn't stop until one of them lay dead._

 _Neil moved to block the bows but he was unprepared when the knight moved his sword quickly from one position to another and thus felt a gash form on his side and he let out a cry of pain and despair as it felt like the cut was lighting him on fire from the inside out._

" _My blade is cursed," muttered the knight. "Even the smallest of cuts will make people go mad from the pain, a cut like the one I just gave you. Well let's just say if I don't kill you first, it will do just that in a matter of minutes. You fought well boy but alas I believe it time I finish this so I can deal with your father."_

 _Neil suddenly had a deep fear overcome him as he spare a small second to look at his father and then at his sister. He couldn't let this knight beat him, he could barely hold his own and his father's injured shoulder would make it impossible for him to fight and he also didn't know if Emma would also fall to this knight or not. No he was the son of Prince Charming and Snow White, a hero and a prince. He had to do his duty to his friends and family. He wouldn't quit now and despite the pain that was overcoming him, he pushed himself forward and pushed the feeling of the pain back in the furthest corner of his mind._

 _With new found strength he began to fight the knight and to his surprise he was gaining an advantage and he saw the confusion overcome the knight giving him an edge and the advantage. He quickly made use of the advantage and managed to get a good hit into the knight causing him to fall and lay beneath him. Never before had he wanted to spill someone else's blood, but he also had this strange sensation overcome him. He could faintly hear his father call out to him to stop but it barely made pass his mind. Finally he stood there with his blade inches from the knight's throat, the black sword falling from the knight's hand and vanishing in a puff of black smoke._

" _Finish it boy," muttered the knight. "This fight won't crease until one of us is dead, now kill me or I'll recall my sword and end it for you."_

 _Neil raised his sword and made to look like he was going to kill the knight but once again stopped inches from the kill and glared at the knight before slowly getting back to his feet and moving slightly away from the knight._

" _No," stated Neil. "I won't kill. I won't become a monster."  
"So be it," stated the knight as he pushed himself onto his feet and moved to attack Neil again with his sword that reappeared in his hand only to have Neil block his attacks once again._

 _David watched as his son fought with every ounce of strength he had and watched as the knight moved for a killing strike only to be deflected, however he also watched as the sword in his son's hand stabbed clean though the knight's chest in the only way his son could have deflected the attack and live. He saw the horror on his son's face when he removed the sword as reality began to sink in. While it had been done in self-defence, his son had still driven his sword into the chest of another man and he didn't need anyone to tell him that blow was going to be fatal. He had killed another man and he watched as the knight fell to the ground and his son dropped the blade in his hand._

 _However that wasn't what shocked them the most, no what shocked them was that the knight was laughing despite the fact that he was dying._

" _Finally, I meet my fate," laughed the knight. "Thank-you Prince Neil, you have ended my curse."  
"Curse?" asked David as he looked at the knight only to gasp as the knight suddenly glowed and he saw a skinny human man standing there almost the polar opposite to the knight had been.  
"Years ago, I was challenge by a knight like how your son was today, and much like your son I managed to win," laughed the knight._

 _Suddenly Neil fell to his knees and clutch at his shoulder and they watched as a blinding light seemed to be coming from underneath the shirt that he wore. David watched as his son removed his bloody shirt and the first shocked was that the cut on his side was healing itself before he saw the light coming off his son's left shoulder and a mark of a sword began to form and when the light vanish the mark was an ugly red and black._

" _What's happening to me?" asked Neil looking at the mark and then at the knight.  
"There must always be a death knight," laughed the former knight. "By defeating me, you are taking my place. Eventually you will be forced to fight people like I did. You will be forced to fight and kill people until finally you meet your match and die like me broken and destroyed."  
"No," cried Neil as he stared at the knight.  
"Yes, you cannot escape your fate Prince Neil. The mark will eventually activate and mark my words the moment it does, you will lose yourself to the mark and kill without a second thought," continued the knight as he felt life leaving him and he began to go still.  
"How long?" asked Neil.  
"Oh but what would be the fun in revealing that little secret," laughed the knight before he finally grew still and his eyes closed._

 _Neil knelt there, before turning to look at his father and sister who had just regain consciousness and was staring at him in a combinations of pure sorrow and sadness over everything that happened. He barely register when his father after quickly checking to make sure Emma was okay who nodded, moved over to him and took him into his arms. All he remembers is feeling the utter despair as he clung to his father's embrace and began to cry._

 _End of Flashback_

Since that fight it had been a year and Neil had tried to keep the small part of his mind stable but with each passing day he could feel more of his former self edging away and more of a desire to fight a worthy opponent to face. So in an effort to keep that part away from him, he stopped training with his sword and refuses to touch pretty much anything close to a blade. He wouldn't even use a knife when eating in fear that he wouldn't be able to fight back and he would give into that desire and hurt someone.

He glanced over at Robin who he loved more than anything and could see the fear and despair in her eyes. He had at first refuse to have anything to do with this young redhead but eventually he opened his heart to her and they had begun dating. Having her despite the struggle was a blessing that he didn't want to give up but he also feared that he might hurt her.

"Neil," began Robin. "I know what you're thinking and the answer is no! I'm not going anywhere so you can take that thought and shove it because I'm not abandoning you now."  
"Neil, I promise I'm looking for a way to help," stated Rosalinda. "I'm not giving up either."  
"Fine but I want you all to promise me something, especially you Rosalinda," stated Neil looking at all his friends before settling on Rosalinda. "If I lose this fight, you are to do whatever you can to imprison me. I won't let my curse go another person so don't fight me. Just find some way to imprison me."

At first none of them knew what to say but slowly each of them nodded all hoping that it wouldn't come to that. Liam reached over and helped his uncle stand and together they continue their way into Granny's.

A/N: Okay so there you go, a little more backstory on Neil and how I said he has magic or well a curse. Unlike Marina who while she is cursed that allows her to control water while it cost her time from her life, Neil curse is much different. He has no control over his and unlike Rumpelstiltskin who for the most part has control over his curse, Neil won't. Eventually he'll become a true killer with one purpose. Kill and kill again.

More coming soon.


End file.
